Frequent Falling
by Sir Fuzzalot
Summary: George Weasley is your average successful joke shop manager with his twin Fred. He's got money, good looks, great job, but his perfect girl still hasn't come... yet. GWAS FWAJ LJKB... rated T just in case. Now a Drama! The wait is over... with ch 9...
1. Help Wanted, Help Found

This chapter has been revised! I've noticed this story is more of a Drama than Humorous... but hey, I didn't plan most of this.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of these characters (except for a few I made up)...but I own this plot!

I WILL BE UPDATING SOON! Sorry for the errors in this chapter, I have them all fixed now...I think... I'm stinky at editing my own stories, I need a beta. I daresay this story needs one. Anyone willing please email me!

I'm nearly done with the second chapter. Expect it on Labor Day (work day! yippee!)

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Frequent Falling

Chapter 1 – Help Wanted, Help Found

It was one fine, breezy afternoon. All the little birdies were flying about while children ran through the sunny fields, open for any adventure. Anyone who was everyone would be outside on this pleasant August day to ride a broomstick, go have a swim in a nearby pond, or just run. It seemed like everyone in London was outdoors to enjoy the weather.

Everyone except George Weasley, that is.

I, George, was snoozing in my unkempt bed, not aware that the day had already passed its midpoint. My bedroom window beside me was open, and the breeze was gently floating in. Along with it, feathers all ruffled and looking quite tired, came an owl. As it landed on my bedside table, it walked over to where I lay deeply asleep, and pecked me a couple times on the ear. I shifted a bit, and then finally woke up.

"Wh-whozair?" I asked groggily.

The ruffled owl hooted as to gain my attention, which worked. I jerked my head to my right where I saw the very windblown owl puffing out his feathers, trying to look important.

"Huh?" I said, "Letter for me? Ah, I reckon it's probably from either mum or from Nora…" Nora was an outgoing person; she didn't have trouble saying anything. She also happened to be my girlfriend.

The owl hooted at me once more, and stuck out his right leg where the parchment was tied. I hastily untied it from the owl, unrolled it, and began to read.

_Dearest George, _(_that's probably from Nora!_ I thought)

_I know that we've been together for the longest time, Georgie. Two years, to be exact. Our anniversary is coming up in the next month. Unfortunately, we will not be able to celebrate it together._

_George Weasley, I am breaking up with you._

_Right now, your head might explode with thought. You're probably thinking why, maybe feeling relieved, hurt, angry… whatever. I don't really care. I will answer why I'm breaking up with you, of course. I wouldn't want to leave you hanging._

_Well, it started after one year into our relationship. I know you told me that you didn't have any girlfriends at Hogwarts; I believe you on that point. I felt a wave of lovey-dovey emotion when we first dated, but it kinda left, and you know… I start looking for other guys to spark that flame up again. I don't want to be a social reject hanging around with you, either. You never take me anywhere (What? I took you _loads _of places!! _ I thought again). _Spain, Germany, Ireland… foreign places, you know. My friends all talk about the foreign trips their boyfriends take them on, and I never have anything to say! I know that my job leaves me traveling a lot, but it'd be nice if you would take me. So, I'm leaving you to find a man who cares. No more dearests, no more Georgies, Norriekins (Ha! Forgot I used to call her that! _I thought once more_)… I'm moving away and you will probably never see me again._

_Sincerely, _

_Nora Hannemaker_

Figures… Nora was always one who would be likely to dump a boy when she got bored of him. I guess she was tired and longed to travel with a man and brag about it, so she dumped of the heavy luggage bringing her down (namely me).

I sighed. _One less thing to worry about… _I thought, savoring it. Business had be thriving lately, so I hardly was anywhere except the shop that I co-owned with my identical twin brother, Fred. One less thing to waste my spare time on would be a _very _good thing for me. I hadn't been able to enjoy a good day like this in weeks. Lately I had been working late into the night, and often slept in past noon. I'd only have a couple of hours before I would go back to work. I was too busy... It's a wonder why Fred and I never put up 'Help Wanted' signs.

Tossing Nora's letter aside, I got up out of bed to make a very late breakfast. I lifted up my wand sleepily, as if to cast a spell.

"_Accio bowl!"_

Immediately, one of the bowls from the dish cabinet came zooming towards the slumping figure that was me. I was too tired to notice at first that the bowl had already bumped into me and fell to the floor, breaking into a hundred pieces. "Not again…" I sighed, pointing my wand at the broken bowl and muttering, "_Reparo,_" thereby fixing it.

I picked up the newly-fixed bowl, and conjured some porridge into my bowl. Tasting it with my index finger, I noticed that it was stone cold. "Aahh… bleargh." I quickly performed a Heating Charm, and began to eat with a spoon I had just summoned.

An hour later, I was back at the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes shop where I worked nearly night and day selling the best joke products in the world. The best part of it is that Fred and I invented them.

Fred was helping out a very young customer in explaining how a Toad Moder worked… but of course everyone knows that a Toad Moder is used to create lifelike toads that explode when you tap them with your wand… the funny part is that they're filled with Stinksap.

I was positioned behind the counter, frequently yawning. I nearly dozed off a couple of times only to be awoken by aggravated customers who were in a hurry.

"Oh- ah, right! That'll be five Galleons, ten Sickles, and three Knuts for the lot- eh, is that love potion? Is she hot?" I asked.

"Never mind that, I'm almost late for work!" breathed a hurried teenager as he dumped a bunch of coins on the desk and ran out.

"Geez… you could come after work if you were in such a hurry…" I muttered under my breath, calling forth the next customer ready to pay.

When Fred was done explaining the Toad Moder to this little kid preparing to go to Hogwarts, he bustled to the backroom to restock the Nosebleed Nougats. They seemed to be going fast. After grabbing an armful of the product, he looked around to see if everything was in order, not all higgledy-piggledy like it could get. Seeing that everything was just fine, he returned to his and his twin's very crowded shop.

It was no shock for him to see that I had fallen asleep at the counter again. After depositing the Nougats in their proper place, he conjured up a hot mug of coffee for his tired brother (me) while trying to poke me awake.

"George, mate, we've got customers… oi! Wake up!" begged Fred. At long last, he managed to get his wish.

"Uuooooo… Immawake! I'm awake! Stop poking me, Fred!" I grumbled. I gratefully accepted the mug of coffee from Fred, who swapped place with me to take over the counter.

"Y'know Fred… we should really hire s'more people… all we've got is Verity, and even with her, we're still all hustled and bustled. I only get a couple hours of sleep every night now."

Fred sighed, waving his wand so that my mug of coffee vanished. "Go ahead and do whatever, George. I gotta get these frustrated customers a bit more cheerful before they go storming out of the shop."

I sighed, and proceeded out of the shop, grabbing one of the Ministry's blown-up safety pamphlets. After putting a Sticking Charm to it to stay on the window, I wiped it blank and drew instead with my wand the words 'Help Desperately Wanted. Anyone who wishes to work at the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes joke shop, please contact either Fred or George Weasley by owl. Signed: George Weasley, co-owner of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes joke shop.'

I looked at my sign with pride, and then left it to return to the shop where I would remain for the next eleven hours.

* * *

A young woman around the age of 20 leaned against the railing on balcony outside her flat above Kielli's Care for Magical Creature Pets, a pharmacy for wizards that brought in their sick pets. Living in Diagon Alley was quite convenient. For one, she had all of the shops she could ever want to visit (Save Three Broomsticks that was in Hogsmeade, perhaps) practically next door; another, she got a good deal on a flat because it was so cramped in Diagon Alley, that the flat itself was cramped; lastly, and personally her favorite, she liked living in Diagon Alley because her job would soon be across the street at #93 Diagon Alley, a.k.a. Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

She gave a sigh as she cast one last look at the Weasleys' shop, and retreated to bed.

* * *

I was, once more, at the shop. Fred was weakly helping out customers when he wasn't at the counter. He and Verity were working a bit harder than usual today, due to the absence of me. I had already arranged three job application meetings. I had tried to look them up, find out their history, but I was unlucky on two of them. Apparently their names did not exist. The other one, however, had graduated from Hogwarts the previous year with N.E.W.T.s in Charms and Herbology. Pfft. He wanted to be an Auror like Harry (Potter), but hadn't managed to get the right O.W.L.s. Nice, going from dreams of being an Auror to a joke shop employee…

I sat at the desk labeled 'Mr. George Weasley, co-master of pranks' in Fred's and my office, located at the very back of the shop. Beside my desk sat an identical one for Fred. My feet were up on my desk, and I lay back in my chair, twiddling my thumbs, waiting for one of my applicants to arrive.

Soon enough, there was a knock on my door. I called the applicant in, who turned out to be a man around his late twenties.

"You name is…" I asked.

"Gwevorian Purditury," he answered with a slight note of fear in his voice.

"That's not your real name, I know it, I looked it up. Now please tell me your real name before I decide that you have no chance whatsoever of working here!" I sneered.

"S-sorry… I j-jus' can't t-trust anyone nowadays. M-me real name's Hayden F-Forglitar," he stuttered.

I raised an eyebrow, looking at him suspiciously, and then continued with the interview.

"So, have you had any experience with joke items, including any ones that might be dangerous? Any at all?"

"At Hogwarts I kept meself secluded in me dormitory sometimes, inventing things to use on the people who made me mad," Hayden said, playing with the hemming of his shirt absentmindedly.

"What kinds of things?"

"Oh yeh know… things that yeh could charm invisible an' stick on someone without them noticin'… scaring the skin off o' them… sweets that could make 'em turn out in orange spots an' make 'em all itchy, y'know?"

"Yeah, I know… Fred and I invented things just like them… except much more highly complex… you'd be no good at creating jokes here… are you much of a people person?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm the life of me mam's parties back home in Scotlan'. Hoo, I could make 'em all laugh like idiots that don' know nuffin."

"Hmm… I wouldn't like Fred and my customers to be made to laugh like idiots… they can do that when they use their pranks… scares away people in the shop, you see? And, if we wanted to make them laugh, we would do so to not make them laugh like idiots… we like them to laugh like a _tickled _monkey… Honestly, you don't know _anything_ about working in a highly-ranked joke shop, do you? Also, you'd be wasting valuable time trying to make customers laugh like _idiots_. There are customers always wanting to be helped around the shop."

"Ar, I can see yeh don' like me now… I'll jus' be on me way… maybe get a job at Zonko's or Madame Malkin's… yeah, I can sew clothes an' whatnot…" said Hayden, speaking his thoughts out loud.

With that word, he left Fred's and my office and out of the store. _Maybe apply for a Divination job at Hogwarts… he could tell I wasn't going to hire him anyway… he'd be better at the job than the old fart Trelawney… _I thought, savoring it. I kept myself busy for the next few minutes by charming a little fly that had so unfortunately flown into his office, unaware that this was George Weasley that he bumped into.

Finally, another knock came at the door. "Enter," I called, and the teenage boy came into the small room. "Please sit down. Name, please?"

"Brad Kelligry," he responded, standing right in front of my desk.

"Oh… please, sit down, manners aren't really of much value in here… we like trait more along the lines of a _good _sense of humor," I said (thinking of that weird guy Hayden), "the ability to help out, to be keen of mind, and to sometimes multi-task."

Brad wore a rather confused expression with a dash of being a bit startled. "Um… okay, then. I think I can do that."

"So… Brad… How long have you been out of Hogwarts?" I asked, changing the subject. I already knew the answer to this one, but this was a question that you would usually include in an interview.

"Last year. I wanted to be an Auror, but my grades weren't up to scratch. I figured that this would the next best job."

"Quite right… Auror's a really good job, and running a joke shop's a really good one too. I just prefer joke shop business… being a prankster myself."

"Yeah, I remember you! Your one of those legendary Weasley twins who let out a Portable Swamp in a corridor! That was _soooooo_ cool!"

"You bet it was… ahh, and that broomstick ride home… I hadn't been on a broomstick for _ages,_" I sighed. "Oh! Back on track! Why do you want to work here, other than the fact that it's a seriously cool job?"

"I want all the little kids that are going to go to Hogwarts have some serious pranking material on their hands, and I know that you guys that work here are working your tails off… I don't want this shop to close because you're shorthanded… so why _not _go for a job here?" said Brad with a note of pride in his voice.

"Wicked… I like you already. When can you start working? Tomorrow?" I said enthusiastically.

"Y-you're giving me—I got the job? Excellent, yes, I'll start tomorrow! Awesome, man!" exclaimed Brad who seemed ecstatic.

"Here's a schedule and salary rate for you… you'll work tomorrow at these times…" I said, pointing my wand at a piece of parchment that now had Brad's schedule and the amount he would be paid on it. "…then the day after that if my next applicant doesn't seem fit for the job, and then again on Friday. The shop's closed on Sundays since Fred and I go catch up with our family on those days. Here's your uniform." Then, I bent down below my desk to grab a set of magenta robes. "On your way out, go and introduce yourself to Fred. He'll want to meet you. I have no doubt in my mind whatsoever that he'll like you." I smiled that mischievous Weasley grin and added, "Together, as the staff of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, we will make the world a better place! With pranks, of course… now, off you go."

Without further ado, Brad left my shared office to go meet Fred. I soon heard a yell of excitement and glee. That could only mean that Fred met him and, obviously, liked him.

And so I sat back in my comfy chair and dozed off, waiting for the next applicant to arrive…

Who knows what time later, I was being poked awake. _Who the devil is poking me awake?_ I thought, and then blearily opening one eye, I saw a mass of red and orange. Ah. Fred, of course.

"Whu—why'd you wake me up? I was having such a good n-n-n-aaap," I said, finishing with a yawn.

Fred had a look of sheer bewilderment on his face. "Uh, George… there's something about your last applicant, the one who's supposed to be interviewed next… she's kinda… well, sorta—"

"Just send her in; I'll deal with her and what ever problem she has… I think," I added. I sincerely hoped that I had no whores or penniless and dying pregnant women appearing on my doorstep. Goodness knows, I was _not _going to take in an orphan child or have my customers being drawn to the shop for …other… reasons.

"A-all right, I'm just going back to the s-store now… yeah, you go ahead and deal with her and her _issues_," he said, adding a snigger at the end. He quickly returned to the crowded and noisy shop, leaving me alone to invite the last so-called _strange_ applicant in.

"Enter, oh ye applicant who might receive the greatest job in the world." I said in a deep, confident tone, although I was crossing my fingers behind my back.

"The _greatest_ job in the world?" questioned the applicant, slowly opening the door. "I dunno about that, dear George, I'd have to try out the job first."

I gasped, backing up in my chair. The door was now open and the applicant had walked in. Luckily, it was no harlot or dying woman… although, in this sight of _this _woman _I _might as well be the one dying.

It was Alicia Spinnet.

"Help found, George," she said, holding up my 'Help Wanted' sign. "I want to work for you. Help found, Georgie dearest."

* * *

:-

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Yay for Alicia! Yay for George! Now... WhAt WiLl HaPpEn NeXt? woooo... mysterious...

I can promise you thirteen chapters for this fic. Like I said at the top, the next chap ('Recurrent Surprises') should be done on Labor Day.

Please review! Review and you'll be my best friend (and who wouldn't want that?)!!

Sir Fuzzalot


	2. Recurrent Surprises

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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, and these characters aren't mine. A few of them are, though. But they're quite puny, so it doesn't really matter. The plotline lere IS mine, and I wish it to stay that way! 

Yay! chapter two is finally up! I think you might like it, it starts up a George/Alicia relationship. there are quite a few surprises in this chapter, hence the title of the chapter. One of them involves pastrami (ew).

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Frequent Falling 

Chapter 2 – Recurrent Surprises

George gaped at the stunningly beautiful woman in his office doorway. He hadn't seen Alicia for two years at the least… it was like she had vanished from the entire continent or something.

She looked even more attractive than she already was at Hogwarts. She easily caught any man's eye with her wavy auburn hair reaching to the middle of her back, greatly complimented by her rich caramel eyes. Angelina and Katie, her other best friends, were always envious of her perfect figure. I still can't believe that she didn't even notice all the guys in the corridors drooling over her! It was a good thing she never got asked out by most of them. If she was, her calendar would be booked all the way till she was twenty-seven… it's a good thing that I was her best friend and was nearly glued to her side. That made people think we were together. Boy, I sure wish we were…

"George!" she nearly shouted, breaking me out of my trance. "Are you gonna stop staring at me, or am I going to have to start this interview myself?"

She made me feel at bit shocked for a moment, but when she smiled that gorgeous smile with her neat white teeth and perfectly shaped lips, I felt reassured. I returned the smile with one of my and Fred's famous Weasely ones. I was pleased to see her laugh.

"I always love it when you smile like that, George…" she said.

"Great! You're hired!" I said excitedly, bending down to pick up her uniform, but her voice called me back up.

"That's it George? Aren't you going to ask me why I want to work here and stuff like that?"

"Oh—yeah, if that's what you want Leesh… but you know I'm just going to hire you anyway, I've got no reason not to." I replied.

Then there was an unnatural silence. Alicia was still standing, although she had already discarded my 'Help Wanted' sign.

"Well?" she asked, her perfectly shaped eyebrows lifting. "Are you going to start?"

"Yeah, all right then…" I said, being caught off-guard. I glanced down at some papers on my desk. "Why do you want to work here at Weaselys' Wizard Wheezes?"

She replied, looking as though she didn't even have to think about it. "Well, for starters, you're my best friend, George, and I've missed you, and also because my old job required me to do a great deal of traveling, and I missed being here with all of my friends. I decided to quit the job, get a decent price for renting a flat, and go looking for a job that was in need of some good help, would put me near friends, and was near my flat. So, I want to work here."

"Put you near your—what? Leesh, where are you living?" I asked, hinting that I was a bit concerned about her.

"Oh, just over Kielli's Care for Magical Creature Pets, here in Diagon Alley." she said.

"That's just—_that's right across the street_! When'd you move in?"

"A couple days ago…turns out Katie's got an apartment just a little ways away from here, Lee's got a flat over by Katie, and Fred and Angelina are practically _engaged_, so we're kinda in the same vicinity. Nice, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess so… blimey, this is weird..." I said, looking very bewildered.

"Excuse me—_what's _weird about it?"

"Just that… well… we get back from Hogwarts, you go off to some job, Fred and I run our store, Lee gets a job in Department of Magical Games and Sports to commentate games, Angelina and Fred drifted apart a bit awhile ago… it just seems weird. Now, you're back here in London, Angelina and Fred are going out again… Lee and Katie are on the verge of dating, too…weird. To tell you the truth, I have no idea _what _has been going on between them… I don't know whether they're just friends, they're together, they have a family of five screaming little kids--"

"George!" Alicia interrupted, shooting me a death glare.

I quickly changed subjects. "What I'm wondering right now, though, is why you'd quit your amazing, well-paid job to work _here_, of all places."

"I've already told you that, George, I wanted to be in town again, I wanted to be here with my friends." she repeated. "This is the job I want, George."

"I'm gladly giving it to you, Leesh. There's no point in this interview if I'm just going to hire you anyway."

"Oh, all right. No point in fighting a losing battle. When do I start?" she said, making eye contact with me.

"Tomorrow, I'm thinking. I just hired this other kid—Brad something; I can't remember what his name was. Kellogg, or something like that." I tapped a piece of parchment with my wand, making her schedule and pay rate appear, and handed her a set of magenta robes. "Here's all the stuff you need. Just remember to bring in your happy attitude, and we're all set."

"Good. See you later, I have to meet Katie, she's dying to see me." she said, and walked out the door. After a moment though, she returned to my doorway. "Oh—and George… thanks. See you tomorrow."

"Wait! Alicia… how 'bout I round up the others so we can all have dinner together?"

"Sounds great. Where are you thinking of going?"

"Hmm… what about the Golden Phoenix? You know, that new restaurant that was reviewed in _The_ _Daily Prophet_? 5:30-ish?"

Alicia grinned. "Sure, I'll tell Katie and Lee about it, and you go ahead and notify Fred and Angelina. We'll all meet here at the shop—but _don't _bring any joke products up your sleeve; I don't think the restaurant managers would like it very much if all of their customers turned into canaries or something like that."

I laughed, and Alicia grinned some more. "All right then, see you at about 5:30."

I waved Alicia out, and sat back in my chair. _Wow, _I thought. _Alicia works for Fred and me… I never thought this day would come…_

Then, I sat bolt right up in my chair; I had heard a noise outside of my office. Slowly the noisemaker walked in.

Stupid Fred.

I sighed very loudly, and said in a very pretending-to-be-annoyed tone "What do you want, Fred? Let me guess: you want to know every single little thing Alicia and I said, right?"

"Correct-a-mundo, George. Right on as always. So… what _did_ you guys talk about?"

"Oh, just why she moved back and all that jazz. Speaking of jazz which rhymes with snazz, we're going to that snazzy new place called the Golden Phoenix for dinner, all right with you?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I'll go tell Angelina." said Fred, now turning to leave. "I'll close up the shop for lunch."

I nodded my head slowly, and stood up. I sauntered out of my office and up the stairs to go make lunch.

Orderly was a word that could not be used to describe the kitchen in Fred and my flat. Banana peels littered the floor, all of the dishes in the cupboard lay unkempt on top of each other, and smoothie residue splotched the peeling walls. My bowl of porridge was still out, along with the past week's bowl of porridge, some of which were growing mold.

I wrinkled my nose from the smell. "Disgusting." I stated, and stepped over debris to get a sandwich fixed up for my lunch.

I pulled out the bread bag from a cupboard and got out two slices of white bread. I then went looking for the mustard, lettuce, and pastrami.

After finding nothing in the filthy kitchen, I went looking in other places.

I first went to my bedroom, seeing that I did a _ton_ of eating in there. My bedroom was similar to the kitchen, except food was the kitchen's contamination, whereas my bedroom's was clothes. Socks littered the floor; I had no idea which ones were clean anymore. Sets of robes lay on my bed, stuffed in the closet, stuck on hangers from the walls, even on the ceiling. I had no idea, though, how they got on the ceiling.

I shoved some pants off of a particularly knobby lump. Ah. Under the pants was a crumpled box that kept my food cold. I took the lid off, and my hands immediately felt the cold sensation of the Freezing Charm I had put inside the box.

Inside of the box, there was an assortment of the usual food items: pickles, ketchup, milk, meat, eggs, ice cream, whipped cream (yum), mayo, tomatoes, apples, lemons, and many other types of refrigerated items. At long last, though, I had kind of found what I was looking for: lettuce and mustard. What I was missing was the pastrami.

And you can't make a good pastrami sandwich without pastrami, can you?

This came as a shock for me. Fred and I had _never _been out of pastrami! As weird as it sounds, the very essence of our lunches revolved around pastrami. I always restocked our supply with the Refilling Charm so we never ran out, but now I was out. This could only mean one thing.

Fred.

I put the lid back on the box, and hastily Apparated to Angelina's flat. When I reappeared in her flat, I suddenly wished I had Apparated outside of her flat and knocked to be polite.

Fred and Angie were pressed against the couch, snogging to their heart's desire. I could almost feel the temperature rise each second, but everything turned either excruciatingly hot or soul-freezing cold as they broke apart and Fred stood up with his wand at the ready.

"Oh it's only George, the git. To what are Angelina and I graced with your presence, which is so unwanted?" He said, being his usual Fred-self.

"Ew, go get a room, you two." I said, completely ignoring Fred's question.

"Well, we _did _have a room, until you so rudely came into it. Why, are you here, anyway?" he repeated.

"Pastrami's gone."

"What? The pastrami? Oh, sorry George, I took it all to do some joke product inventing."

"Oh, that's fine. I'll just go to the Mart and get some more. No harm done."

"Yeah, George, no harm done. Just because of you and your pastrami, Fred and I aren't going out anymore." grumbled Angelina as she rose from the couch.

"_WHAT!_" exclaimed Fred and I in unison, being taken by complete surprise.

When Angelina doubled-up in laughter, however, we felt reassured. "You two… are… so… GULLIBLE!" she laughed, gasping for air.

"Aw, Angelina, stop scaring me so much…" said Fred, still recovering from his shock. "I thought I had lost you for a minute there!"

"I know how I can make it up to you, dear…" replied Angelina, now pulling Fred towards her by his tie.

"Uh, I'm leaving now," I said quickly. "See you guys at 5:30 in the shop, all right?"

All Fred could suppress was a small "mmpphhff…" to answer. He and Angelina were back at it again.

I Disapparated as soon as I could.

* * *

Alicia was lying down on her bed back in her flat. Through her open window (A/N the window is really a clear-glass door to get to the balcony), she could see Fred and George's flat across the bustling street. The window (A/N another door.) she could see the most in her view was open; the curtains were billowing out of it and touching the curved railing of the balcony that was attached to the window from the light breeze. A figure moved inside the flat, and Alicia could see it from her window. 

Ignoring it, she checked her clock. 4:42. She still had an hour to make it of her bed and across the street.

She should have enough time.

Instead of lying around on her bed, occasionally glancing across the street to Fred and George's flat, she closed her curtains and began to get ready.

* * *

I was back in my room, trying frantically to sort out all that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. Everything had gone by so quickly after all; it was like my brain had stumbled upon a fast-forward button. 

One minute I was with all of my friends, laughing and joking around just after we graduated from Hogwarts; another we've been split up. That second motion went on for practically two years, and then the unexpected came around the block again and whapped me in the face. Alicia was back, Angelina and Fred were back together, Lee and Katie lived close together and Lee had finally made a move on her, and not to mention Alicia lived right across the _street_ and was working for _me_, of all people.

Also not to mention that Fred had run off with the pastrami.

I sighed, and dove into my closet, trying to find a suitable tie to wear to dinner.

* * *

Fred stood at the entrance to the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes shop. He had just finished locking it up for the night, even though business was still flooding in. 

"Sorry, folks, we'll be open tomorrow, urgent matters have come up, simply unavoidable, sorry." He had told the crowd, causing frowns to appear on many faces.

As soon as the crowd had disappeared into other shops, he let out a sigh of relief.

He checked his watch. 5:27. George had told him to be right where he was at about 5:30, so he was just fine. The others would be apparating soon.

Sure enough, within the next five minutes, three faint _pop_s were heard, signifying Angelina, Lee, and Katie's presence. Alicia had walked across the street and I had come downstairs, er, at least tried to. Fred had locked the door, forgetting that I was still in there ("Let me out, you great scatterbrained oaf!").

"Shall we, guys?" asked Alicia, raising her wand.

"Er, what? Shall we what?" said Lee, scratching the top of his dreadlocked head.

"Apparate, Lee! What did you think we were going to do?" said Katie, looking at him as though he were a five-year-old.

"I dunno…sorry, yeah let's Apparate now." he replied.

Together, we raised our wands and Apparated to the Golden Phoenix.

* * *

The Golden Phoenix had a reputation for serving very snazzy people. Indeed, it was rather snazzy. The walls were covered in murals done by extremely good artists; wizards, not doubt about that, too, for the murals were enchanted to make the figures in the painting move. Every single painting did, however, have a phoenix in it. 

"Ooooh, this place is so lovely!" cried Angelina, almost in tears.

She and the other girls started babbling on about the famous painting that they knew of, but were almost immediately silenced by the fancy-looking waiter at the Welcoming Desk.

"Do you have a reservation, sir?" he said, looking at me.

"Um, yes, Weasley, party of 6, made today." I said, shoving my hands into my jacket pockets.

"Ah—yes, here it is. Please follow me." He replied. He grabbed six menus, and beckoned us to follow him.

Angelina, Katie and Alicia were still arguing in whispers close behind me.

"That one" said Katie, now pointing at the wall to the left of us, "looks like Michelangelo did! D'you reckon he did?"

"Don't be a prat, Katie," said Alicia, frowning, "Michelangelo wasn't a wizard, the figures inside the painting are moving."

Katie mumbled, taking caution that none could hear her, saying "well he _could've _been, how else did he paint a ceiling without paint dripping on him or falling down and breaking his neck? …"

Here is your table, Sirs and Mademoiselles; I daresay you'll find everything in order here at the Golden Phoenix. Just fire up sparks when you're ready to order. For now though, could I get you anything to drink?"

"Iced tea, please." called Angelina as she and the others sat down.

"Butterbeer… non-alcoholic, that is." said Katie.

"I'll have the same, please." said Lee.

"Which one, sir, the iced tea or the butterbeer?" asked the waiter who had already whipped out his wand and summoned and iced tea and butterbeer.

"The butterbeer." replied Lee, and the waiter summoned another.

"Iced pumpkin juice." said Alicia, and caught one being summoned in her right hand. "Thanks."

"Iced pumpkin juice too, please." I said, catching another one.

"A small firewhisky out to be good for me, then." said Fred, looking very relaxed.

"FRED! YOU WILL HAVE NO SUCH THING! _YOU'RE NOT OLD ENOUGH TO DRINK YET!_" raged Angelina, kicking Fred hard from under the table.

"Ouch! That hurt—cancel that, waiter, and make it a butterbeer." said Fred humbly.

"_Non-alcoholic, right Fred!_" said Angelina menacingly.

"Yes, Angelina dear."

At once, the waiter left and they were just at the table, sipping their drinks.

"Blimey, look at what's on the menu!" said Lee, his eyes wide. All at once, their menus opened, and they were all looking at them.

"Reugxelé Au traé Väile?" said Katie, looking rather confounded. "What the devil is that?"

"Dunno… must be French… no one in their right mind besides the French would put something like that in a menu." said Fred, looking very mystified himself.

"Don't worry, guys, that just the French section. Ah—look! Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Tropical, Dutch. Brazilian, Indian, Icelandic, Russian and American! Talk about variety!" I said.

"Talk about snazzy." said Alicia. "You know what to order?"

"Not even close, Alicia. I'm busy observing the world's menu in here." said Lee.

"I'm gonna get the Thai seafood salad, I think. Sounds pretty tasty." said Angelina. "What about you, Fred? Have you looked at the Tropical section? I know you like that stuff." she added, making Fred feel like a little kid.

"Yeah, I'm looking at it right now, Ang. I'm getting Hawaiian meatballs."

"I going to be getting the Tortilla Soup, it's a very excellent Spanish dish." said Alicia.

"I'm just getting the American tenderloin steak. Medium-rare, that is. Gosh, I hate rare meat." I said, pulling out a disgusted face.

"Cut that out, George, it's so freaky! I'm going to experiment with new stuff, and get that French dish, Reugxlé Au traé Väile. It's gotta be good to be on _this _menu." said Katie, closing her menu.

"Hmmm… I'll just get the Chinese egg rolls, then." said Lee, also closing his menu. "Everyone know what they're going to order?"

Nods from us assured him that we were ready. Just as he was about to send up sparks, though, a waiter not much unlike the previous one Apparated to our table.

"So it'll be Thai seafood salad; Hawaiian meatballs; Tortilla soup; American tenderloin steak, medium-rare; Reugxlé Au traé Väile; and the Chinese egg rolls. Anything else, Sirs and Mademoiselles?"

"No, we'll do just fine." I said, handing over my menu with my friends'.

"Just to let you know, then, we have a nice garden path out that door over _there._" he said, pointing to an open door way in the room next to the one we were in.

"Thanks." said Fred. The waiter Disapparated. "So," he continued, "how long d'you reckon it'll be till the food's done?"

Typical Fred. His mind's always on food.

"Probably just a minute. This is a restaurant run by magic, remember?" said Katie.

Sure enough, a minute later, the waiter was back guiding a floating tray of food to the table.

We ate, talking heartily. Once, when Lee was laughing, he nearly choked on one of his egg rolls, but we soon cleared that up. Other than that, there were no risks to our health the rest of the meal.

"You guys fancy a walk outside?" said Fred, now getting up from his chair.

We nodded our heads in agreement, and also rose from our chairs. I scribbled a note down saying that we were outside on the walk, and tried to catch up with the others.

Alicia had gone to the bathroom, however, so I let them go ahead and waited for Alicia to come out.

About two minutes later, she did. "You want to walk outside?" I asked, fidgeting nervously. It had been_ so _long since we last had a walk.

"Sure." she said, and we walked outside on a fairy-lit path. The shrubbery was mainly made of rosebushes, and giant willow trees dotted the landscape. Artsy fountains could frequently be seen, as well as little stone benches. An orchestra was playing nearby the doorway. Fred, Lee, Angelina and Katie were nowhere to be seen.

"Can we sit down?" I asked, jerking my head towards the nearest bench.

"All right, then." she replied, following me. We sat on opposite sides of the cold bench.

We sat in minutes of silence, but Alicia finally spoke up.

"Y'know George?" she asked.

"Yeah?" I said, jerking my head up to show that I was alert.

"I hope I never have to leave this place again."

"What, this restaurant?" I said stupidly.

"No, you prat, this part of the country. I don't want to leave London. At least for long periods of time, I mean."

"Oh. Yeah… I'd be bored if I had to stay in London my whole life. Travel a bit, yeah…"

"I love it here. When I left the country, I was miserable. I had left my home, my family, all I knew to be familiar to me, and most importantly, my friends. I missed you guys a lot, George. Especially you. We were best friends back at school, besides you and Fred. You two were inseperable… I'm so glad to be at home once more. Especially since I have no reason to leave. I've got a good job, and good house, and my best friend back."

I smiled, and had an urge to scoot over nearer to her on the bench. Just as I lightly lifted myself to move, I heard feet running and voices screaming.

I quickly sat back down, and looked for who was causing the ruckus. Then, Angelina came, practically dragging Fred.

"ALICIA! YOU'RE GONNA NEVER BEL—!" shouted Angie triumphantly, but was cut off by Katie, who had just run in dragging Lee.

"ALICIA, IT'S INCRED—!"

This time, Katie was cut off by Lee, who had quickly silenced Katie. Fred did the same to Angelina.

"_What _is going on? tell me!" squealed Alicia impatiently.

Angelina remained silent, but slowly raised her left hand. There was a glittering diamond ring on the ring finger.

"Alicia… George… guys… Fred proposed! I'm getting married!" she exclaimed happily.

Alicia was so surprised; she has let out a little reflexive jump in her seat and fell backwards off the bench. Luckily, I caught her before she hit the hard earth.

At the same time, there was a shriek of joy coming from Katie. Lee did not have quite the same expression. His looked quite dumbfounded.

"That's so weird…" he said.

"Sorry… what's weird about it?" asked Fred, lifting an eyebrow.

"I just proposed to Katie."

"_WHAT!" _yelled Alcia, doing another reflexive jump, knocking both herself and me to the ground. "Ouch... sorry George." she added, standing up.

"You too?" I said, wearing an identical expression to Lee's five seconds ago.

"This is AMAZING!" shouted Angelina, hopping up and down. "Now we can go bridal shopping together, pick our cakes together, have our receptions together…"

"… So that's what you guys have been doing! We haven't seen you in the _longest _time, and you were dating!" I said, brushing dirt off of my clothes. "Too many surprises in one day… now my brain hurts."

"I agree… I can't handle this many surprises in one day, I keep falling off of benches." said Alicia.

"Yeah… now Katie and I are getting marriedummfffhh.." said Lee, but was cut off by Katie, who kissed him.

Fred and Angelina started it too, so Alicia and I turned our back and I whispered to her: "You want to go pay and go get ice cream with me? I don't want to stand around watching them snog."

Alicia giggled, and whispered back: "Sure… but you're paying."

I nodded and smiled, and we left the snogging couples together.

* * *

:- 

:-

Yessss... things are starting to heat up! And also... Lee & Katie are getting married (Fred and Angelina too!) ... and George has more pastrami!

REVIEW AND YOU WILL BE MY BEST FRIEND! ...please? I love reviews, then i know what to fix about my story and it's future chapters!


	3. Working for the Weasleys

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of these characters save a few crummy ones that I made up. Oh, and this plotline is all mine, too. whoopee. 

Thanks to my new best friends (yay!) Eruaphadriel, Jagged Epiphany, LckyDogJess and KitKat001 for reviewing my story so far. I will try my best to make it very exciting, humorious, romantic and dramatic.

Here is chapter three! Whoopee! It took me some time to do this one, I kept on getting backed up with homework. Apparently the teachers do not understand that some of us have fanfictions to write, and cannot write them fast enough if we keep on being burdened down with homework.

* * *

Frequent Falling

Chapter 3 -- Working for the Weasleys

The next morning, I woke up in my very messy bed with the taste of chocolate chip cookie dough still in my mouth. Ah. I forgot, I went to get ice cream with Alicia last night. I suspected that Fred, Angelina, Lee and Katie might have noticed that we were gone some time after we left, but that didn't bother us.

We were having the time of our lives.

Talking and laughing about the past and all of the stuff we did at Hogwarts, like Fred's and my excellent pranks against Filch, and Alicia scolding us later for it, mainly. She always did that after we had done something that got us in semi-big trouble, for we never did get in any _big _trouble, just like two weeks worth of detention or something like that. Ah, I miss those good ole days.

Alicia was also telling me about was she'd been doing the past two years. Reporting, mainly. She had been a reporter for the _Daily Prophet_, and spent most of her time going around the globe looking for stories. She took no particular joy in it by the way she sounded, but the pay was good, and that was all she needed at the time. Now, however, she looked even happier.

In her opinion, she had it all. In my opinion, there was a lot more she could have—she still hadn't found someone to love, a _permanent _job (working for me didn't really sound like a lifelong job), and eternity all set for her—that stuff that really matters. Like some Muggle once said: Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate. Thank goodness Alicia had no current enemies.

Rising from my bed, I rubbed my eyes to adjust to the bright light coming from my window. I would soon have to go downstairs and work in the shop all day. Phooey.

As the warmth of my bed quickly dwindled away from my body, I stretched widely and looked for my work robes. After finding them (and putting them on!) I slowly sauntered to the kitchen, only to eat my usual bowl of morning porridge.

* * *

(A/N: this is 3rd person view, whenever I switch to what Alicia is doing!)

Alicia was just waking up from a dream she rued waking up from. George was in it, and candles all around… something like that. She looked up to her mirror on her wall opposite her window-door. Urgh. Her hair was so unkempt, and it was her first day of work! Snatching up her wand form her bedside table, she quickly charmed it flat and tidy while getting up to pull on her new work robes.

In her kitchen, she grabbed a bowl from one of her cabinets and conjured up some strawberries and cream. This was a nice, sensible breakfast, and not even being in a rush to get to work could spoil it. The savory flavor…it reminded her so much of the ice cream that she and George had purchased the previous night. She had had strawberry, like she usually got. Florean Fortescue made _the _best strawberry ice cream around. George had gotten chocolate chip cookie dough, which had also been his favorite. They had talked for hours, it seemed. They had caught up on what was going on in their lives, and also about some random Muggle stuff. Alicia was prone to buy Muggle items; refrigerators and televisions especially. Freezing Charms on boxes seemed too weird for her, having been brought up by Muggle parents as well.

Alicia checked her watch. 7:47, it read. Just enough time for her to finish off her strawberries and cream and stroll across the street to her first day at the twin's shop.

After dishing the bowl in her sink to be later cleaned, she checked herself one last time in the mirror and headed out her door downstairs to Kielli's Care for Magical Creature Pets, where she would exit.

She was greeted by Kielli herself, positioned behind the counter cluttered wit h many of her various products for magical creature pets.

"Gosh, Alicia, you look too darn good for men's eyes today… but _what _in heaven's name is that you are wearing?" she said, her eyes bulging from looking at my magenta work robes.

"Oh—I got a new job. I work at the Weasley's place next door. I _do _wish that they'd change the color of there work robes, though," she said, looking down at her outfit. "they clash horribly with their hair."

"Since when have you started caring about the Weasley twins?" said Kielli, now counting her profits wrong absentmindedly.

She laughed, and checked her watch once more. 7:54… six more minutes until she would be late. Not like she was aiming to be, or something like that. "Shoot… sorry Kielli, no time to chat. Gotta run across the street in six minutes or else my new bosses will hex me or something like that… you never know just _what _they'll do…"

Kielli nodded her head in understanding, and Alicia left her shop to travel such a _long _distance to work. (A/N That was Alicia being sarcastic, in case some of you dimwits didn't get why Alicia is saying that it's such a long way to work when it's right across the street.)

* * *

(A/N Back to 1st person George again!) I paced back and forth in the back of the shop, biting my nails nearly to the cuticle. Every thing in the shop looked fine; nothing I needed to fix before the shop opened for the day.

Fred was watching me out of the corner of his eye as he dusted some crates of Weasley's Wildfire Whiz-bangs. After a few moments, he said "George, pull yourself together. It's just our new employees' first day, not the arrival of the queen! They won't care if the place is spotless or if it's covered in an inch of vomit! Well… I take that back, they'd probably not go anywhere _near _her if it were covered in vomit… gross, it makes me want to vomit thinking of all our products covered in the slime…"

I stopped pacing to stare at him. What in the world…? Only Fred would imagine the Shop covered in vomit. Disgusting…

Fred quickly shook his head furiously to get rid of the thought, and resumed his dusting. I tried very hard to suppress a laugh, but my attention turned to the shop door that had just opened. Glancing up at the clock, I saw that it was 7:56. Ah. So, Brad Kelligry was not late for his first day of work.

He walked into the shop with a huge smile upon his face, and immediately walked up to Fred and shook his hand.

Simply _splendid _to see you again, George old pal!" he huffed enthusiastically.

"Erm… I'm Fred. George is over there pacing up a storm." said Fred, looking slightly bemused.

"Oh—right, then." he said, and then dashed over to where I stood glued to the floor. "George old pal, simply _splendid to_ see you!"

"Yeah…" I said as he shook my hand rather vigorously. "Are you feeling sick? You well, a bit _too _enthusiastic comparing to when I saw you yesterday. First day impressions?"

Brad nodded his head kind of half-heartedly. I added, "Let's say right now until business picks up for today you can take stock of what's in the storeroom. Heaven knows what's in there…"

Brad nodded once more, and set off into the back room while conjuring a clipboard and quill. I glanced up at the clock once more. 7:58. If Alicia was showing up for her first day of work, she had better do it fast. I would hate to scold her for being late.

Not a second later, the creaky front door opened once more and in walked Alicia… looking like an angel. Her auburn curls were billowing from the incoming wind from outside, and her cheeks were tinted a light shade of pink, making her caramel eyes stand out beautifully.

"Sorry I'm almost late, George, Kielli was in a mood for conversation." She said, straightening out her robes and giving me a small smile.

"Aw, that's all right, Leesh. The store opens in about a minute, so just try to escape Kielli sooner. Fred, where d'you want her to work today?" I asked, turning my head around to Fred, who was apparently gawping at her aura of beauty. He quickly snapped out of it as I kicked him silently and whispered: "You have a fiancé, Fred!"

"Um, I want her to work here, of course, George! Wouldn't want her transferring over to Zonko's!"

I rolled my eyes. "I meant where _in the shop_, you nitwit!"

"Oh—let's put her behind the counter. We know the products better; we can help the customers."

Alicia nodded like Bred did, and gave him a salute as well. "All righty then, Mr. Wealsey!" with that word, she seated herself behind the counter and started organizing it… well you know Alicia.

I returned Alicia's smile, and pointed my wand and muttered a few words at the door. Automatically, the 'closed' sign flipped around to say 'open'.

Almost immediately, customers came pouring in like they had been waiting for me to do that all morning. Some of them bid me hello and tugged me by the arm to Fred's and my new products to help explain it to them.

"Yes, Mrs. Tidwell, it's a book that smells worse every time you read it. Fifteen sickles for it. _No_, Mrs. Tidwell, not fifteen knuts, fifteen _sickles._ S-i-c—what?" I asked, cutting off to turn around. Someone had poked me.

Ah. Who else could it be than that magical poke-happy Frederick Weasley?

"_What _now, Fred? Can't you see that I'm helping out poor Mrs. Tidwell here?"

"Yes I know, but look at Alicia! It's like she was meant for the job! The only time I've seen her do anything better was at school…" said Fred.

"Gosh, all she's doing is monitoring the check-out stand. Nothing really spe…" I said, but trailed off as soon as I turned around and looked at her.

Gosh, she looked like one of heaven's best angels.

The smile on her face seemed never ending; her graceful auburn hair rippling around her neck and back whenever she tossed her head and each strand would be illuminated by the light streaming through the front window; the way her robes looked _so _good on her… and not to mention that she _was_ extremely good at being a cashier.

Alicia caught my gaze, and gave me a huge smile as she scratched the back of her neck. I replied with a rather goofy grin that made her laugh. Thank goodness for that ole Weasley charm.

A moment later, I found myself being poked in the back again. I looked over annoyed at Fred, but he looked rather amused as he shook he head. He made the little 'turn around' sign with his hand, so I twirled around to see the poking culprit.

Mrs. Tidwell looked rather frustrated as she continued poking me with her bony, feeble finger. Fred was now in a serious fit of giggles.

"Youngsters these days… never pay any attention to the elderly. Come now," she said, now taking me by the arm, "please help out a dear old lady like me, and show me what these green pairs of socks over here do."

I turned back to Fred, only to see him doubling up in laughter. I sighed, and said, "Lead on, dear old Mrs. Tidwell."

* * *

Alicia stood behind the counter looking over at George being carted off arm-in-arm with an old lady. Fred was practically on the floor laughing; so much, in fact, that one customer actually asked him: "Are you all right there, sonny?". She had never heard Fred be called 'sonny' before; it was quite funny.

"That'll be four galleons and eleven sickles, ma'am." She said as a woman was paying for her purchases.

"Thank you, dear. And might I say, I just _love _your hair! I've been trying Curling Charms for years; none of them have worked right and turned out as nicely as yours."

"Um, I don't use any charms on my hair… except to flatten it in the mornings." said Alicia, blushing slightly.

"Oh—I'll just be leave now, thanks." The lady said, her smile fading a bit.

Alicia sighed a twirled a strand of her hair between her fingers. At the current moment, though, she wasn't thinking about hair. She was thinking about her new boss. (A/N: not Fred you morons!)

She noticed that George had been staring at her for some time. She'd often been credited as very beautiful by some and having the perfect body shape by others. Even George himself had said that she was pretty.

She let out a sigh. She and George had been the best of friends back at Hogwarts, and eventually Angelina and Fred and Lee and Katie had coupled off and left her and George back in the dust. Why hadn't anything happened between the two of them? Why had they not gotten together like the others? Thoughts like these plagued her mind.

Who knows if George was having them too?

* * *

As soon as I was free from Mrs. Tidwell's deadly grasp, I went into the backroom to inspect Brad's progress. He was in the back room, attentively writing down whatever what was in stock back there. At first, I noticed several burn marks on the walls. Whatever, it was common is a joke shop. Fred and I must have done some joke product testing in there. Brad's list was long: he had already exceeded five pages and was a fourth of the way done with the sixth. 

"So how's it going so far, Brad?" I asked lazily stretching (it was cramped in the store).

"Good so far… I'm about halfway through. I was, however, having _particular _trouble with the Extendable Ears, though, because one accidentally touched a Catherine Wheel and ignited. Nearly burned my whiskers off."

Ha. Like the poor kid _had _any whiskers. But that did however explain the burn marks. They were fizzling a little and giving off a smell of burnt scones. Also, they were starting to rapidly change colors after a while.

"So, when's lunch?" said Brad, not taking a seat upon one of the huge cartons of Weasley Love Potion.

"Oh, in about fifteen minutes. You have an hour's break, and then I'll put you on customer helping. I'll see if Verity will take over this rough job back here." I replied.

"Jolly good…I didn't have _nearly _enough time for breakfast this morning. Apparition…" he said, pausing to shudder. "Not my thing. I _much _prefer Floo powder and broomsticks over _that_."

I eyed him with concerned for a minute. "Where do you live? Far away from here?"

"Just in Bristol. But it doesn't take much time for me to just floo from my fireplace to Diagon Alley. It's the waking up early part I need to get used to."

I rolled my eyes. Teenagers…waking up early is not their thing.

"Well, I'll clean up the burn marks on these walls… just go ahead and continue your counting, Brad. Lunch break will be in no time at all if you don't think about it." I said, pulling out my handsome thirteen-inch cherry wood wand containing a dragon heartstring. "_Scourgify._" I mumbled, pointing my wand at the nearest piece of blackened wall. The burn mark fizzled a bit more than it already was doing, and returned to normal. "Well that didn't work…"

"Hmm… try stupefying them, and _then _vanishing them. Maybe that might work better." said Brad, turning around from his post to inspect the burn marks more closely.

"That might work…" I whispered, and then raised my voice so Brad could hear, "Thanks Brad. You've gotten out of Hogwarts more recently than I have; you'd have it more glued to the inside of your head."

I quickly stupefied it and easily as pie vanished it. "Yeah, I'll have to write that down somewhere in case this happens again."

Brad smiled, and returned to his work. After a few minutes of silence save my mumblings of spells for the walls and his quill's scratching on his parchment, Brad finally talked.

"So…how long have you run this shop?" he said cautiously, trying to sound grown-up.

"Hmm… Fred and I started it just before our seventh year at Hogwarts, so I'd say this is our third year. We hired Verity at the end of our first year managing this store, because business was booming big time and Fred and I had our schedules packed all the way till Easter."

"What was she like back then? Like she is now?"

"Sort of, I guess. She was real shy when she first applied, but at then end of her first month working here, she was energetic, bouncy, and the life of every party. Well, save Fred and I, of course. We're the life of _every _party. Verity's a hard worker, we like that about her. Never afraid to do overtime or anything we tell her to do. Well, although she still won't go near our kitchen upstairs; she says it reeks something horrible."

"What? You live just upstairs?"

"Oh yes. Sometimes when Verity works late, we treat her to dinner up in our flat. She always declines, though. She just hangs around in our sitting room looking at old family pictures, sipping late night coffee. She been real happy lately, too. Must be because one of Fred's and my new employees, Alicia. Verity recognizes her from our pictures. Poor Alicia, she in nearly every single one!" I said, eyebrows lifting.

"What!" exclaimed a very surprised Brad.

"Oh, she's not family or anything of that sort. We were friends for a very long time before Hogwarts, in fact. We met when she was traveling around England. Fred, Bill, my dad and I just happened to be going to the village nearby (A/N: I think its Ottery St. Catchpole, but I'm not sure.) when her family was stopping by on their route. Been best friends with Alicia ever since…"

"Wow. I wish I'd known her that long; she sounds so interesting. I wish I could go and talk to her."

"Well, mate, I'm not keeping you. Go ahead, it's Lunch break already." I said, giving him a tiny smile. "I promise you she doesn't bite, but one can never be sure…"

"GEORGE! I heard that, Weasley!" yelled a pink-faced Alicia Spinnet who happened to be passing by. "Oh, sorry, Brad, I shouldn't have shouted at him in front of you."

"Aw, Leesh, he's not a little kid, you know. Hey Brad—yeah, I was right, her bite's not bad, her bark's _much _worse." I teased, putting my best innocent look on my face.

"Weasley, I swear…" said Alicia, looking utterly irritated down to the very auburn roots of her gorgeous hair.

Before she could say any more though, Fred poked his head inside the room and said, "Hey, why is everyone in here? Already five minutes into Lunch hour, it is, and not _one _single sign of a sandwich!"

I laughed, and replied, "Sorry Fred. Make a pastrami sandwich for me, you always do it better. Shop closed?"

"Yep. All closed exactly at twelve, back open again at exactly one. Alicia, do you care for pastrami?" he added.

"Sure, Fred. Anything George can handle eating I'm sure I'm pretty capable of swallowing." She said, her expression lightening considerably.

"Excellent. That makes four pastrami sandwiches now, one for myself, Verity, George, and our Leeshy. Want a sandwich, Brad?" asked Fred.

"No thanks. I packed my own lunch." said Brad.

"Okey-dokey then… I'll be back with some Eau de Pastrami."

Alicia raised an eyebrow confusedly. "Doesn't Eau de Whatnot or something like that mean a type of perfume-cologne thingy?"

I laughed, shaking my head. "That's just Fred. His head's just messed up, I'm the smarter twin."

Alicia and Brad laughed with me. From what they knew some far, I _was_ the smarter of the twins.

"Well, I'll go collect the money from the check-out counter. Brad, I believe you wanted to meet Alicia? Well, here she is. See ya." I said, leaving the back room. From my last glance back at the room, Brad looked quite awkward, having been taken by surprise. Also, he'd never met anyone like Alicia Spinnet before.

* * *

Weeks passed like this, slowing moving onward. Fred would fetch us all pastrami sandwiches (Eau de Pastrami) for lunch, and Brad would timidly have small conversation with Alicia. Customers were still always coming in by the armfuls, but my work schedule had slowed sown considerably since the addition of the two new staff members.

Alicia by far worked the hardest; yet seen seemed to make no effort at all at being as perfect on the job as she was. It was like instinct or something. Brad had become a lot more timid and jumped a mile whenever you so much as spoke something to him with his back turned. He always seemed to be in a daze; he often messed up in the shop. No one knew what it was.

Verity, though had an idea: he had recently gained a girlfriend. "Honestly, it's so obvious." She would say days on end, "when you're in a daze like that, you just can't stop thinking about your new girlfriend. You see, he keeps acting pretty funny around girls. Whenever I go near him he practically jumps out of his skin and go deathly pale. Mustn't want to see other girls, might fall in love with them and cheat on his girlfriend!"

"You jump to conclusions _way _too much, Verity," we would respond after one of her 'Brad has a girlfriend' monologues. "We're starting to think that you're mental."

Of course, Brad never caught a single whiff of our heated conversations about the poor lad. Good thing, too. Fred was deadly afraid that he'd quit, so it would be back to working double overtime.

One afternoon, approximately four weeks since Brad and Alicia's first day at work, Fred, Angelina, Katie and I were sitting down in Katie's flat, discussing wedding plans.

"It's a shame Lee can't be here, he never likes it when I make important decisions without notifying him first. Stupid Romanians, why do they need Lee to commentate a couple matches for them _now_? When he could be here deciding what colors the wedding should be based on?" said Katie, sighing left and right.

"I'm thinking a pale gold and pure white. Nice and simple." said Angelina, taking a sip of tea.

"Nah, too boring. I say we go for electric blue and hot pink. Then, your dress could be a kind of sappy mixture of both…" said Fred, staring off into space.

"You WANT me to look like a sappy freak, dear? Huh? How would you like me to stick my wedding vows up your rear end? Huh?" said Angelina menacingly.

"Sorry, Ang… and I definitely do not want anything shoved up my buttocks."

"How about we go with a nice gold and white, Fred?" asked Angelina, trying again for the two colors.

"Yes, they're fine, Angelina dear." replied Fred, obviously in attempt to please his fiancé.

Angelina smiled with satisfaction. "What about you, Katie? Violet and yellow?"

Katie sighed once more. "Honestly, Angelina, it's _lavender_ and _lemon_. I'm pretty sure Lee will be fine with those colors… yeah…"

I scanned the room. Katie's flat was on the border of being called neat and orderly; she had recently taking up the labor of looking for everything she owned that was lavender or lemon colored. I had no idea why I was even with these three right now, to be honest. I wasn't getting married; I had absolutely no reason to be here. Well, I was bored, so I guess that counts for something. I suddenly stood up to Apparate back to Fred's and my flat, when Fred spoke up.

"Leaving so soon, George? Is it because Alicia's here, and you're going home to grab her by the hand and propose so you can come make wedding plans, too? Jealous, are we?"

I rolled my eyes, feeling annoyed. "Fred, I have no intention of going over to Alicia's flat to propose so we can come over her to make wedding plans, too. I'm not in love with Leesh and not jealous because you guys are getting married and I'm not. I'm just Apparating home to get some rest. I don't know why I'm here in the first place. End of story. You guys just continue on with your plans, I'm going on home."

"Whatever, mate. See you later." said Fred, pausing for a moment before diving back into wedding plans with Angelina and Katie.

I grabbed my wand out of the pocket of my robes and Apparated back home.

What I didn't hear Fred whisper to Angelina and Katie a second later, though, was: "He'd got to be in denial."

I had already grabbed my wand out of my robes pocket and Apparated home. Almost a second later, I felt the cool breeze of Diagon Alley upon my face. I had landed right beside my window. The light outside was dim; it must have been nearing dusk. The curtains billowed from the window and the world seemed lazy. There was a soft fragrant smell in the air.

I looked outside my window. The day's busy shoppers were slowly leaving the Alley with their purchases wrapped tightly in their arms. I opened the door that led to my balcony to get a better look at the Alley. I silently closed the door behind me and sat down in the small chair.

I looked around once more. What I did not expect to see was Alicia Spinnet reading a book on a balcony directly opposite mine, but I did anyway.

* * *

Alicia was quite tired. She had just gotten off from a fairly interesting day at work, taken a short nap and struggled to get up off of her bed and into the shower.

"Come on." She told herself, although her voice was slightly muffled as her face was shoved in her pillow. "You don't need a nap right now. You are going to take a _shower_. You need to be _clean_." She kept telling herself this time and time again, yet she still remained unmoved. "No. No more sleep. _Shower._"

After about a half hour's battle between mind and body, a victor finally came to be. A half hour later, Alicia took a shower.

Once she had finished, she let her hair down to dry, took out a book and went out on her balcony to read the time away.

Who she did not expect to see (yet she did anyway) was George Weasley, sitting on the balcony exactly opposite of her own.

* * *

I stared at her with unbelief. I had known for awhile that she lived just across the street, but it had never occurred to me that she had a balcony exactly across from mine, too. "Alicia!" I yelled, and she waved back. She looked just as bewildered as I was.

"I didn't know that was your balcony!" she yelled back. Her hair shook in the wind, and droplets of water flew from it. Apparently she had just taken a shower.

"Yeah, me neither!" I replied. Silence followed, and Alicia dived back into her book. "So, what're you doing out here?"

She looked up from her tome. "Just reading and gathering my thoughts from the day." she said.

"Do you do this often?" I asked, leaning my upper body on the rail.

"Only when I have fairly _interesting _days." She replied, copying my action.

"What was so interesting about your day today that you had to gather your thoughts up here for?" I questioned again, lifting an eyebrow.

"Well… it's kind of weird, you know. At least it proves Verity wrong."

"Verity? Proved wrong? This must be good, then. Pray tell."

"Let's see. It started at lunch break when I was talking to Brad. Poor thing, he's gotten so shy lately."

"I know… it's starting to annoy Fred. He keeps hoping that he can scare it out of him, but it just doesn't seem to work."

Alicia laughed. "Yeah, Fred's like that. Now back to my story… so I was talking to Brad, right? Well, we were talking about all the crazy hookups that have been going on between Muggle celebrities nowadays. We get into the subject of dating, and then Brad goes all pale and quiet again. And then, it happened. George, he asked me to go on a date with him!" she exclaimed.

My blood ran cold. Brad? Date Alicia? I panicked inside. Thoughts ran randomly in and out of my head, and I starting trembling. "Wh-whu?" was all I managed to say. I stared over to where Alicia sat, looking strangely at the look of shock and confusion upon my face.

* * *

Dum dum dum! whoOoOoOo Brad's going on a date with Alicia! Is George jealous? Is he glad? --- yeah right) how will Alicia react to George's reaction? HOW will the date go? WILL Alicia and Brad hook up? WILL Alicia and George get together eventually --- this is a GWAS story, who knows. So many questions, so little answers right now...

There's bound to be angst in this story.

Review and join my list of mew best friends! new best friends can review too! Sir Fuzzalot loves it when she finds a review to one of her chapters!


	4. Moonlight Meetings

* * *

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own any of these characters (save Brad and some others) or the 'Harry Potter' basic storyline, but the plot here is MINE! MINE, I SAY! 

Yay Chapter four is finally up! I promised it to some about two weeks ago, but I was caught up in choir stuff, being named choir president and all :)

I think you'll like this chapter, even though it is kinda awkward. Trust me on this! ;)

* * *

Chapter Four – Moonlight Meetings

My mind ached for hours on end. Most of my free time was spent curled up in my bed, collecting my thoughts. My mouth was parched, so my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth.

Fred came in to check on me every hour, wondering why I was moping around. Truth is, even _I_ didn't even know the answer to that one. Why was I so fed up about Alicia going on a date with Brad?

Once, when Fred was checking up on me (probably the second check-up), he had let out a sigh and said, "Oh, George, snap out of it! Don't be jealous of Brad for getting to Alicia first, you had plenty of time. Trust me, _plenty_ of time."

"I-I'm not jealous… how did you know that Alicia's going out with Brad?" I asked.

"After seeing you moping around in your bed, I went over to Alicia's flat to see if she knew why. She told me that she had told you about Brad asking her out on a date, and how you looked all shocked and confused. She told me that you had left abruptly and she still hasn't heard from you yet. Oh, don't worry, I just told her that you were starting to get sick." He added, seeing the angered look upon my face. "I've given you the day off tomorrow, making it twenty-four hour flu or something."

"Thanks, Fred." I said, giving him a small smile. "Now get outta my bedroom."

He was laughing on his way out, closing the door behind him. I buried my face in my pillow, but only momentarily. I had gotten up from my bed to see if Alicia was still on her balcony.

She wasn't. Instead, I saw a faint outline of her inside her bedroom moving around. It was nearly midnight; why was she still up?

I put the thought at the back of my mind for the moment, collapsed on my bed, and gave myself up to sleep.

* * *

I slept in the next morning. It was my first good sleep-in in a while; I was always hectically getting up early for work most every morning. Thank goodness for Fred calling me in sick.

As I rose from my bedraggled bed, I stretched profusely and sauntered off in search of breakfast in my garbage heap known as the kitchen. Except when I reached that chaotic room, I discovered the least thing I would have expected to be upon my kitchen.

The kitchen breathed the essence of clean.

Someone had cleaned the kitchen, making the very spotless countertops shine. All of the walls were clean; not a single speck of expired smoothie lay upon them, and the lasting stench of porridge ceased to exist.

"What in the…" I trailed off, my eyes shining with disbelief in that Fred's and my kitchen could ever achieve such cleanliness. Walking numbly up to the cabinet above the sink, I took out a bowl and sat down at the table. What to eat? Almost instantly, I knew what to eat. Funnily enough, it was exactly what the kitchen now smelled like.

Strawberries and cream.

* * *

Fred stood behind the shop's counter, looking quite eager. Alicia, looking quite pensive herself, dashed over and felt his forehead.

"All right there, chief?" she said, giving him a puzzled expression.

Fred jumped, and ruffled his already untidy hair nervously. "Oh… yeah, I'm fine." Noticing that Alicia's expression still had not changed, he continued, "its George I'm worried about. He was moping about all last night, his head was burning and his eyes looked all swollen. Rather than just cure him with a simple spell, I thought it'd be better just to give him some time. Let him heal on his own. Still, I'm worried about him…"

He glanced at Alicia once more. He silently let out a sigh of relief at that Alicia had not suspected that he was lying.

"Well, I think I'll go check on him if that's all right with you, Fred." she said, turning to the back to the store.

Fred quickly reacted and pulled back her left arm. "No! Alicia—don't you think you should be helping out customers? The store, remember."

"Oh Fred, quit worrying. It's nearly lunch break, and I'm pretty sure that the store will manage with just you and Felicity for ten minutes. No need to call in Brad from his day off or a whole team of Aurors. George will want some company while he's sick, I'll go tend to him. Just relax, Fred, don't have a cow."

Fred released his hold on her, but his expression of worry still remained fixed. "Are you sure? When George gets sick, he tends to be very moody. He might not want to see you…"

Alicia just returned his comment with a look of grinning doubt, and set off to the back of the shop where the stairway to Fred and George's flat was.

* * *

I had just finished my very late breakfast and, surprisingly, cleaned and set my bowl back in its cabinet. No more rotten porridge-filled bowls in _my _kitchen. Just as I was washing my hands, though, I head a most unexpected noise.

Someone was coming up the stairs.

I quickly turned the water off and dried my hands. I immediately picked up my wand due to reflex, and pointed it at the door that led to the downstairs shop. The door opened, and in walked Alicia Spinnet.

I nearly jumped out of my shoes. "A-Alicia? I didn't expect—" I started to say, but she cut me off.

"George! _What _are you doing out of bed? If you really are as sick as Fred claims you are, then you shouldn't be able to set a foot out of your bedroom! Go on, now!" she urged, sounding more and more like my dear old mum. I had almost completely forgot that there was a chance that someone might come in to check on me, so Alicia's coming completely took me by surprise. I hastily let out a fake cough.

She insisted that I remain in my bed still, so I began to fake-limp over to my bedroom door. She, seeing my 'weakness', came over to help me walk. In my ear, she whispered, "I know you're not sick."

As I response, I tickled her. This was _her _weakness; Fred and I used to attack her in the common room with it. It was like our secret weapon, although not-so secret.

Between laughs, Alicia managed to say, "Oh—haa ha hih ha ha—you'll pay for—ha ha hah heh hih—this, Weasley…"

And she gave me a full 100-percent Gryffindor Chaser tackle.

* * *

Fred was writing out an extensive order behind the counter when he suddenly stopped. He looked Verity, who was restocking Pygmy Puffs. "Do you hear that?" he said, jerking his head toward the ceiling.

Verity gave him a suspicious look. "What, the dust having a raucous party? Other than that, I don't hear anything."

"The dust hav—no, not the dust! I meant upstairs in my flat!"

Again, Verity shrugged.

Fred returned her confused expression with one of his own. "Funny. I thought I heard laughter."

* * *

Soon enough, our laughter was silenced as we sat on the couch in my living room, going through my old photo albums. We were currently on a picture of a six-year-old Fred trying to style Alicia's hair.

"Aww, I've never known Fred to be so girly before…" said Alicia, looking at Fred's six-year-old self fondly.

I laughed. "You should see what he keeps in his bathroom drawers. I think he actually has a bottle of foundation! I've never known him to wear it, though. Gosh, your hair was so gorgeous back then. No wonder Fred wanted to style it."

Alicia looked up at me, all pouty-faced. "Are you saying that my hair isn't gorgeous now?"

We were both enveloped in snickers, which resulted in Alicia flipping over onto her stomach on the couch, ramming into my side.

"Oof… sorry George." she said, and quickly righted herself. Then she tittered off and said something completely off topic. "George… your kitchen smells nice."

I gave her a funny look and responded, "I know. Someone cleaned it; I noticed that the moldy porridge bowls were gone. Now everything smells so _creamy_. It's quite weird though… every time I go into the kitchen now, I keep thinking of you."

To my surprise, her expression didn't change one bit. "That's because I was the one who cleaned it. You and Fred were living in a almost-hovel, and I couldn't have that."

I laughed once more, and replied, "Do you _want _me to tickle you?"

She shook her head while trying not to blush profusely.I flipped the album page. The next picture was of Alicia's seventh birthday. The young Alicia was beaming at the edge of the Weasley table whilst I was right next to her, kissing her on the cheek. Fred was staring at us in disgust, his tongue poking out. All four parents were off the side, laughing at us.

Alicia let out a soft sigh. "I remember that day."

"Me too. Fred could never get over it; he said he'd been scarred for life."

We laughed again, this time rolling off of the couch. "Whoops." said Alicia, sitting up. "I shouldn't laugh too hard; bad things happen." I let out a small snicker. This was kind of like when she was surprised, she fell off of benches.

Then, unexpectedly, the door opened, and in walked Fred. "Whoa." he said, jumping in place. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything. If so, I will gladly walk back downstairs to the store. I just came up to see if Leesh was alright, since forty-five minutes isn't quite equal to the ten minutes she promised."

"Oh…" said Alicia, blushing. She quickly got up from the floor, and straightened out her clothes. "No, George and I were just looking back at old memories. I must have lost track of the time…"

At this, Fred glanced at the open photo book on the floor. His seven-year-old self was repeatedly making disgusted faces without ceasing, whilst Alicia and his seven-year –old twin ignored him.

"Ooh, Leesh's seventh birthday? Quite the event. I was surprised that you and Leesh weren't glued to each others faces for the next year, George."

"Oh stop it, Fred. We were best friends." I said defensively.

"Best friends don't usually kiss each other!" Fred replied.

"I was _happy for her_! It was her _birthday_!"

"Then why aren't you happy for her _now_? Just because she's going on a date with another guy doesn't give you a reason for me to call you in sick! Gosh, George, the girl's not your _property_, for heaven's sake!"

I stood open mouthed at him. Him, my best friend, my very _twin,_ would say something like that to me? To make it worse, he said it even in the presence of Alicia? He was toeing the line. Without even glancing back at the jerk or Alicia, I stormed off to my bedroom.

* * *

Alicia looked over to Fred. "What the heck did you just say?"

Fred returned her comment with a stern look. "Don't you worry about it, Alicia. You've got a great guy and George is just jealous that it's not _his _arm wrapped around you. I bet he regrets that day in our seventh year when he could have had you, but he declined. And he _soo _didn't want to…"

"Shut up, Fred. That was none of your business, anyway. You were so caught up in Angelina, I'm surprised you didn't walk her down the isle the day after we graduated. Now, if you will please excuse me, I am taking the afternoon off. I don't care if you deduct my pay or suspend me, _I am going home. _There's no point in arguing, I'm just leaving."

And so she did.

* * *

Brad was watching the Muggle television in his home. There really wasn't anything good on, so he was constantly flipping through channels with his wand (he couldn't find the remote).

"_Latest news… banking tower destroyed due to unknown cause…firefighters arrive at flaming scene too late… all employees in the building die…_"

"…_need to get more exercise, fore we do not want to be fat, fat, fat! Now let's try…"_

"…_Hear from the Prince Joshua II of Ireland, addressing us on the latest mysteries of Great Britain. Here he is now! 'Greetings to all Englanders and my fellow Irish. I wish to impose a…"_

"Stupid Muggles, they never have anything good on." said Brad, turning the television off with a flick of his wand. The TV was no good for distracting his mind from other things… so his mind evaded distraction.

His thoughts took over.

_I am alone, wandering around this scented room._

_Scented?_

_Then, I realize that I am not alone. Her presence is warm; I can feel her breath make my senses crawl. Her hair is light and bouncy, rippling in the illusory wind._

"_I knew you'd be here." said Alicia Spinnet._

"_You took me by pleasant surprise, Licia. I _had _wanted to see you, though. I was looking for you." I replied._

_She smiled, making me sigh with happiness. "I guess you found me, Brad. What do you want?"_

_I looked up at her eyes, so rich with that dreamy caramel color. I felt like I could drown happily in them. "To tell you that I'm madly in love with you, Alicia Marie Spinnet."_

_With that, I drew her nearest to me and caught her lips upon mine. Indescribable passion burnt through me; I felt like time itself had stopped to wait for us, to let us savor our moment._

_She wrapped her arms around me, but unexpectedly pulled away. "Don't forget, Brad. Our first date is tonight. Pick me up at seven-thirty. Don't be late…"_

_With that, she and the unearthly room vanished from my sight, and the feel of her warmth lingered on me no more._

"Brad…" said an all too-familiar voice. Brad drearily opened his eyes, and blinked repeatedly. The blurry vision slowly came into his eyesight.

"Dinner's ready, Braddie. Are you coming to dinner?"

"Ah, no thanks, mum. I have a date tonight. We're going out for dinner. Wait… what time is it?" he asked hurriedly, sitting up from the couch.

His mother checked her Wizard's Watch. "About seven twenty-one, dearest. You weren't going to pick her up at seven, were you?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"No… seven-thirty. Blimey, I must have fallen asleep! Curse me and my thoughts!"

"What?" exclaimed his mother, putting her hands on her hips like all typical mothers do.

"Never mind… I've got to leave. Alicia doesn't want me to be late!" Brad said, jumping up to go change. Then, his mother grabbed my arm to keep him there for a second.

"Alicia who?"

He looked at her strangely. Why would she want to know that? "Alicia Spinnet… she's a bit older than me, but I don't think that really matters. Besides, we're not anything _serious_, this is only our first date."

"I think I've heard her name before, but I don't know _where_… Curse my poor memory…" she said, and released his arm. Brad quickly ran to his room to change.

Seven minutes later, he was knocking on Alicia's door to her flat. After a few seconds of silence, she opened the door. All Brad managed to say was, "Yulukgreat…"

It was true; she did look great, possibly even better than great. She wore a flawless white shirt with a baby blue cami underneath with a green and blue skirt. She wore baby blue high heels. Her hair was tied up in an elegant bun, shining as though liberal amounts of hair solution were put in it.

"Erm… thanks. Now, where are you taking me?" she asked excitedly.

"You'll find out…"

"Ahh, the suspense is killing!"

He gave her a small smile, and offered his arm. "Shall we?"

Alicia accepted it gratefully, and replied: "We shall."

And together, they walked arm in arm from Alicia's flat to her first date with Brad Kelligry.

* * *

I was, like the majority of the day that had gone by, in my bed. I had closed all of the curtains, and extinguished all of the lights.

If only I could extinguish Fred's rough attitude.

What Fred had said had been very rude, especially in the presence of Alicia. I couldn't help thinking that although it was rude, it had been so darn near part of the _truth. _I _had _regretted not being glued to her face at Hogwarts. I had liked her so much, yet not made a single move on her. Fred, to make it worse, had made several moves on Angelina and spent the last year of Hogwarts glued to her face.

I was kind of jealous of Brad. He had gotten to her before me, and I had over ten years to get her. Why did I have to be so darn shy? I should be upfront with my feelings; not always hiding them in a dusty corner.

I did not know what time it was; nor did I want to. I forced myself to rise, and look out of my window. So, I did. I drew back the curtains and immediately a soft dwindling light met my eyes. I blinked by instinct a couple of times. It must have been sometime past dinner, for the sky was beginning to turn red and the breeze was chilling.

Not a single thing except for the billowing curtains moving inside Alicia's flat across the street. '_Of course' _I thought. She would be on her date with Brad, having the time of her life. To not rob myself of the full nature experience, I opened the balcony door and stepped outside. The Alley slowly emptying; only a few bedraggled shoppers remained.

I longed to have normal feelings like the people who don't even bat an eye at the slow process out of the teenage years, when the hormones settle down as one finds his true love and spends the rest of his life with her.

If only that could happen to me.

* * *

Who knows what time later, I still remained sitting on the lonesome balcony watching the night sky. It must have been past nine o'clock; the sky had long since faded into a darkening blue and stars dotted the silky sky. My feet were relaxed on the railing, and my arms were behind my head, as if to support it from falling off (which I knew it wouldn't, heads don't randomly fall off).

Then, I heard a sudden sound. It was like a faint door opening, almost. I looked across the street. Sure enough, Alicia was walking into her bedroom. I couldn't see her face from where I sat, but I would take a wild guess and say that it looked happy. Her date must have gone well.

After about five minutes of watching her silhouetted form, she finally looked out her window and noticed I was there. She looked quite surprised, and said, "One minute." before closing her curtains.

A minute later, she reemerged from her bedroom and onto the balcony. She was wearing her comfortable pajamas: a perfectly fitting purple top and bottom with white swirl designs in random places.

"So…" she said, taking a seat on her balcony chair. "I didn't expect to see you out here at this time." She looked up at the sky. "I noticed the sky as I was coming back, so I wanted to come out and see it more closely. It was coincidence that I saw you. The sky's so pretty at this time of night, when all the stars have appeared and the darkness of it all is young."

I looked up at the sky again. "Yes… I've always loved looking up at the peaceful night sky, expecting to make some great discovery that will change the world. The sky tells me nothing except this one thing, however."

"What?"

"Keep going. The sky is intriguing; it's as though every time I look up at it, it tells me to never give up, to keep going."

"That's really deep, George. When I look up at the sky, it tells me that no matter what I do, there's always someone out there that'll appreciate me. No matter what, there's always someone."

Then, there was silence. Together, they stared up into the heavens. Who knows what time later the silence was broken by my straying thoughts, saying: "How'd you date go with Brad?"

She averted her gaze from the sky to where I sat. "I went well. Brad's a really nice guy. We had dinner at the _Juene Violete _by Paris. He took me all the way to France! He was really sweet and caring, so I agreed to go on another date with him."

In my mind, hope drop a notch for me. She was going on another date with Brad, I couldn't possibly get Alicia. I had my chance and blew it. At my age, lovers were everywhere, people left and right getting married and falling in love. I hoped dearly that Alicia didn't fall for Brad, for then I would have no idea what to do but live my life in lies from her, and work till my death in the shop.

Instead of confessing my heart, I gave a simple nod and said, "I'm happy for you. Brad's a really nice guy."

"Geez, George, you make it sound like we're getting _married _or something! I'm only going on my _second date _with him on Friday night. Nothing more."

Then, Alicia checked her watch. "Ten twenty-three? Blimey, it's late. I better turn in if I don't want to be late for work in the morning. Are you calling in sick tomorrow, George?" she added.

"Naw… I'm feeling _much _better." I joking, laughing along with Alicia.

"Hey George—d'you want to meet up here again tomorrow night? I mean, only if you want to, it's just an idea."

I looked at her, smiling on her small balcony. "Sure, Leesh. Tomorrow night, Nine o'clock?"

"Sure. I'll see you tomorrow at work, can't wait for our next night meeting."

With that word, she waved goodbye and stepped back into her bedroom. She drew the curtains, and I was left alone on my silent balcony. There was only one last goodnight to be said before I turned in, so I whispered it quietly, looking up at the night sky:

"Goodnight sky. Thank you bringing Alicia outside for me."

And I walked back into my bedroom, hearing the hushed reply of the howling wind behind me.

* * *

As the next day dragged on at the store, so did my anxiousness. I would talk to Alicia once more tonight, and I so dearly wanted to. As I restocked the Headless Hats near the middle of the sort, I would get my chance to talk even earlier.

"Hey George!" said Alicia, walking with a tad bit of speed to where I was working. "I'm just wondering if we're still on for tonight. You might have had something come up or whatever, so I don't want to be stranded on my balcony with no one to talk to."

I gave her a reassuring smile. Typical Leesh. At Hogwarts, she was the one to worry about homework and tests, when we all knew that she'd ace them. "No, Leesh, I haven't planned anything otherwise. Don't worry; I'll be up there at nine o'clock sharp, you can count on me."

She returned my smile, and awkwardly patted me on my shoulder. "All right then, George, I was just making sure. See you at nine o'clock if I don't see you here at the shop beforehand."

With those words and my feeble reply of "Yeah.", she went back to her post of putting price tags on new items.

Why did we seem so _awkward _yet _contented_ together? Since Fred's outburst back up in the flat last night, I'd proclaimed silently to get over my feelings for Alicia. Why did they still relentlessly linger? It's not like I _wanted _them to go away, it's that Alicia had Brad to go on dates with, while I just talk and stare up at space with her at nights.

I miss the way things were in our seventh year. We were in love with each other, and we just… fell apart. I could've had her… why _did _I turn away? Even with all my explanations made, not even _I _knew why I did it. Now, my chances are shattered while she continues to date Mr. Kelligry, who's not even _twenty _yet.

Why _him_?

* * *

Alicia was done with work for the day, so sat down at her neatly polished kitchen table, looking at a modern cookbook to see what she could make for her dinner.

"Hmm… Chinese Ham and Sushi Stir fry… Nah, too foreign." she said, flipping through the pages. "Ooh, chicken and rice? Yes, that'll do."

So she stood up, grabbed her wand from the table and conjured up a chicken. "_Chiceneous!_" she declared, sending a flash of smoke before her eyes and a chicken squawking through her kitchen. "Should have been _dead, _not alive! Did I say _chiceneous, _or _dechiceneous_? Ahh… where's my spellbook? _Accio Conjuring Spellbook!_"

A green, leather-bound book came magically zooming into Alicia's waiting arms. She hastily opened it to chapter one hundred and sixty-seven, _Of Conjuring Animals_. However, the chicken was still screaming up the dead dust from the corners, driving Alicia nuts.

"Darn chicken! Shut up! Oh- _Silencio!_" she said, making the sound vanish instantly from the chicken's throat. "Now—'_To conjure a chicken, hen, chick, or rooster: Hold the wand loosely in the spellcaster's wand arm, and trace a small swirl whilst saying this incantation: "Chiceneous". To produce a nonliving chicken (as in the ones already prepared for cooking), make a slightly larger swirl, and repeat this: Dechiceneous Karcumn".' _That sounds easy enough…_Dechiceneous Karcumn!"_

Immediately, a dead, plucked, skinned, and de-fatted chicken rested on the table before Alicia. "Now that's nifty." she said, examining it. Then, she turned her wand to the wordless alive chicken, still persistently opening its mouth as if to produce sound. "_Scourgify._" she said, and the chicken disappeared. "Good riddance!"

She prepared the rest of her meal in peace, and ate it slowly, savoring the chicken and rice combination flavor. After she ate a quick dessert, she sat down in sitting room comfy chair.

"_Accio Chapter Book!_" she said, pointing her wand at the bookcase on the far side of the room. Immediately, the book she summoned came flying into her outstretched hands. This was her favorite book; she'd rather spend time reading it over and over than riding her broomstick. It was a romance novel, written by a duchess back in the medieval times. In the dedication, the author (the Duchess of Grymmel) proclaimed 'To my long lover, my Duke of Grymmel, may thy life proclaim long-lived and fruitful as I see it to be.' The foreword to the novel gave a short prologue for the reader to understand, saying that this was the story of her and her husband; how they met, how she was courted, how they wed, and how they spent their years. _'My Shining Knight'_, it was called.

She read it, and did not cease to stop for some time. When her trance with from the book in her hands lightened and she was in one of the seldom appearing boring parts of the manuscript, she took the opportunity to glance upwards at her wall clock.

"8:52." she said, a note of excitement hinting in her tone. "George won't mind me going out a bit early… knowing him, he's probably been looking out at the sunset for hours."

Since the window from her sitting room faced the Muggle London and not Diagon Alley, she went into her bedroom to see if he was out on his balcony. Her curtains were drawn; it seemed stupid to open them at the current time, so she breathed the fresh night air when she opened the door.

"Hello, Leesh." called a familiar voice. Alicia let out a small laugh as she sat down in her balcony chair. Her assumptions had been correct.

George Weasley was already out, waiting for her.

* * *

It was no shock for me to find Alicia coming out just a bit early. She was like that; I could recall our first night at Hogwarts, and how she could barely contain herself during the Sorting. I was surprised that by the time Professor McGonagall had gotten to the C's, she hadn't already strode right up and snatched the hat right off of someone's head in order to be sorted immediately to suppress her impatience. Now, Leesh wouldn't do that. She was impatient, yes, but disciplined.

I heard her laugh. "How long have you been out here?" she asked. "The sunset catch your eye?"

"Oh… yeah, I've been out here watching the sunset… although there's not much of a sunset to look at now." I said, indicating the now royal blue sky.

She laughed once more, and I joined her. Soon, we had brought up a manner of conversation, lasting for quite a long time. We strayed into the most random of subjects, finally ending up with quite a personal question from Alicia.

"So how're you and Nora doing? Thinking of settling sown yet?"

My head jerked with surprise. Even thought I was used to random comments by now, I wasn't expecting her to say that. And Nora Hannemaker wasn't someone you usually talk about randomly… everyone that had heard of her tried to avoid all mentions of her name in even the smallest amount of discussion. Except for gossiping about her, that is. Whenever I stopped by Three Broomsticks over in Hogsmeade and saw people who knew Nora, they would always be gossiping about the _dear, sweet, _and _charming _Ms. Hannemaker.

"George?" she said, trying to catch my attention.

"Oh—sorry to disappoint you, Leesh, but we split up some time ago." I said, trying to avoid eye contact.

Alicia looked quite stunned. "What happened? Did you break up with her? Did she find another guy? You _didn't _hurt her, did you?" she asked, looking concerned.

"What, you think I'm prone to acts of violence, Leesh?" I said, one of my eyebrows lifting in suspicion.

"No, but—_Don't _tell me you dumped her for _me_, George…" she added quickly, including ghastly to her list of current facial expressions.

"She broke up with me, Alicia." I replied. Although I knew that was the right answer, I couldn't help thinking, _'If she _was _still me girlfriend at the time, _would _I have given her up for the beautiful, kind-hearted, loving Alicia Spinnet?'_

"I'm so sorry, George! I didn't mean to, really…!" she said, her face turning a deathly white.

"It's alright, Alicia, I understand. Usually the guy breaks up with the girls, not vice versa… but me dumping her for you… that's just awkward. What if you rejected me? Then I would have two losses to my name. Since she broke up with me, I have yet to gain a loss."

She smiled, and looked up at the sky like she usually did. "What a tangled mess these past months have been."

And so our meetings continued. We met every night at nine o'clock, whether rain or shine, fog or snow. Even when Alicia was sick for a week she still came, despite my protests.

And so she continued dating Brad. She wouldn't really talk about him much, but I did manage to weasel out a couple facts: One: they had now been dating for three months (although I could have figured that one out myself). Two: According to Alicia, Brad was funny, nice, caring, and hardworking. The only one of those I could confirm would be that he was hardworking; I swear, he never wasted a single minute in the shop. Three: He hadn't kissed her yet. She gave him a hug once, and that was as close as they had ever gotten.

As the time went by with the meetings, I began to become suspicious of people, and see them everywhere. So far, I had become suspicious of Lee, Angelina, Fred, Verity, Brad (of course), Katie, one of my customers wearing an absurd pink leopard-spotted coat, Kielli from across the street, a little barking dog, Florean Fortescue, and sometimes even myself. The only person who I could fully trust now was Alicia, and she knew it. She always saw me act nervous in front of others, so she demanded to Fred that I take a day off. What she had planned was that day was also her day off, so we could talk as long as we wanted to on our balconies. I could tell her nearly anything.

One day, though, I felt like my trust with her had almost completely dissolved into wisps of temporary smoke, caught away in the passing wind. Three and a half months since my first meeting with Leesh, she took me by surprise once more.

"George…" she said, fidgeting nervously. "I have something to tell you."

"What, Alicia? You can tell me anything. Go ahead." I replied leaning my arms onto the railing.

She turned her worrisome russet eyes to my deep hazel ones. "I went on a date with Brad tonight, you remember? I told I would be last night."

"Yes. I remember you telling me. You practically go on dates with him _every _night, Leesh."

"We haven't even kissed or anything… but, oh George, he proposed!" she said, casting me looks of confused happiness.

"A-and you…" I stuttered, my bones quaking.

"Accepted. He drew me in a graceful hug, and told me that he loved me. He didn't even kiss me, but he loves me."

"And y-you love h-him?"

"Of course, Weasley. I wouldn't have accepted if I didn't." she said, casting me a suspicious look. "I'm getting married…"

I felt like I could die. My very best friend (save Fred), my constant conversation partner, was leaving me behind in the dust. I could finally total a loss to my name. George Henry Weasley, 1; Alicia Marie Spinnet, neutral 0. Even though gaining Brad would be a certain win, losing me would equal it out. I could never win her back. Every loss of mine was her gain. Just as we were drawing closer, I felt like we were yanked apart again.

"I'm h-happy for you, A-Alicia…" I lied, knowing that with this, I never would be.

* * *

How did you like it? Darn Brad Kelligry, why did he steal Alicia from George! Garararar we just want to strangle him... 

Here's a question for you... : Should I talk more about Alicia/Brad, Fred/Angelina, or Katie/Lee wedding plans the most in the next chapter? Talk about them neutral ? The next chapter is to be titled 'Wedding Plans', so I need/want your opinion if I should do them neutral, more than the others... blahblahblah

Please review! Thanks to all my best friends for reviewing! You can earn a chance to be one of my best friends... just review! It's that simple! I look forward to all reviews, keep 'em coming, please.

Notice my chapters are getting longer?

Sir Fuzzalot


	5. Wedding Plans, Part 1

Hellooooo there! I know that I might have told some of you guys that I would update on Friday, Dec. 23, 2005, but I got a little anxious and decided to write until 3 o'clock A.M. The rest of today was spent editing. (If you catch any mistakes in here, I'm sorry). ALSO, to make things a little more dramatic, I decided to turn this chapter into a 2-part deal.

Aaaaand, when I first planned this chapter out, I expected it to be about Alicia, Katie, and Angelina's planning for their weddings. You'll have to read on to find out what it's really about!

Some of you that I personally know are anticipated the long-awaited arrival of a key character in this story. I really didn't think that he/she would need to be in it, but it makes things really good. This person has a big impact on Katie! Watch out for sparks (not telling you which kind, romantic, angry or making joke products that involve sparks).

The next udpate will be up in some time... maybe the first two weeks of January. Expect it then!

So, with no more delays, read on... (and please review!) Sir Fuzzalot

* * *

Frequent Falling

Chapter Five – Wedding Plans, part 1

George's POV

Day after day was spent moaning, hiding, and writing. Writing in my secret journal, I mean. Guys don't keep _diaries, _unlike girls. You'll never hear of a guy who spends his days writing away in his diary. It'll always be a journal, just a journal…Okay, now back on subject—whenever I became really distressed, I would write in this hidden journal of mine. I kept it locked away most of the time, away from the prying eyes of others.

Fred would have a holiday if he found out. And, quite particularly, I don't want to be labeled as a Girly-Man.

I would write out my feelings, as a way to drain out my clogged mind. Amazingly, it always worked. After a session with my journal, it would be like starting over fresh, waiting the good of the world to come.

But this day, no good came to me. It felt as though this was the end of me; each minute my will to live waned. My life would never be complete without Alicia by my side. What was I to do? Alicia was soon to be Brad's, and she would be bound endlessly to him. There would be nothing that I could do.

* * *

Alicia's POV

I must have upset George; the last time I saw him act like that was when I told him that I was going on a date with Brad. Now, we're getting _married_. One thing, though, still continues to bug me: Why has he not kissed me? Surely, he is not too shy to kiss his own fiancé? He is strange in that way… but I am sure that he'll bring up his courage someday, before I have to kiss him first.

Today, I was going over to Angelina's flat, where Angelina, Katie and I would be planning our weddings and discussing our future husbands. I know, that sounds like one of your crazed-to-be-married-fresh-out-of-teenager-era sort of girl, but oh well. We were going to enjoy these moments while we still had them. I mean, how many times do you get to get around and plan your own wedding with your two best friends also getting married?

I was sitting down on Angelina's plush (A/N: oooo very comfy) couch, when Katie walked in beaming with a tray of tea and steaming spice cake. I could feel my mouth watering.

"You baked spice cake!" I exclaimed with hungry eyes, sitting upright in my seat.

Katie set the tray down on the coffee table. "As soon as you told Ang about Brad's proposal last night, she started putting together ingredients for it right away so we could have planning today. She just _happened _to know that it is your favorite cake. Does Brad like it?"

My hypnotic gaze at the cake suddenly popped and I looked up at Katie. "I have absolutely no idea. I don't think he's ever had _this _recipe."

"Yeah, no one makes cake like our good friend Angelina." she replied with a small smile.

As if she was waiting for Katie to say that, Angelina walked into the room with her arms full of out-of-place papers and a few binders.

I looked wonderingly at the assortment of things that Angelina had just placed on the coffee table. "Ang… what is that stuff?" I asked.

"Oh, just some planning materials for our weddings. I figured that we'd need the paper to write down all of our ideas to present to our fiancées."

"Gosh, Angelina, you make it sound like they're royalty or something..." said Katie. I couldn't help imagining me kneeling down in front of Brad who was sitting on a throne. I was presenting him a stack of paper, bearing ideas for the wedding. "What about the binders?" asked Katie.

"Those are for scrap booking." she replied, and after seeing the wide-eyed I-can't-that-we-are-doing-this looks upon Katie's and my face she added, "Yes, we _will _be making pre-marriage scrapbooks. In my purse" (Angelina pulled out her purse) "I have an overload of photos from Hogwarts. It's time we finally organized them for later years of looking at. In time, Alicia, you and Brad will be curled up in an armchair by the fire, sipping hot cocoa, and looking and laughing at your years at Hogwarts. Scrap booking is a fine way of preserving memories."

Katie and I sighed. "Fine, Ang, we surrender to your scrap booking plans. Now show me how you cut this paper all fancy-like. Wait—you don't have any scissors!" I said.

Angelina rolled her eyes at me. "Honestly, Leesh, do we _need _stupid Mugglescissors? We are _fully qualified Hogwarts-trained witches, _remember? Now just point your wand at the paper, make _this _motion in the air," she said, demonstrating with her own wand. "And say _triscisiori."_

Immediately, Angelina's paper flew up lightly in the air in front of her face and began to cut its edges into an intricate design.

"_Cool…" _I whispered, looking at the unique paper falling back onto the table. "You have _got _to show me where you find all of these spells."

Angelina laughed, looking at Katie's expression. She looked like all that she had been told in the past thirty seconds had gone in one ear and straight out the other. Katie wasn't usually quite a dumb blonde, but since her hair _was _fair and she adorned the look of dumbfounded-ness, Angelina and I couldn't help calling her a dumb blonde.

"Angelina, I'm going back to my place to get my Hogwarts photos, is that okay?" I said, turning towards Angelina, now cutting the cake.

"Are you? I would think as soon as I would begin cutting your _favorite _cake, you would glue yourself to the couch with it and not dare move. But if you're still planning to go and find that when you come back and there's no cake left, you'll find that it's your own fault. After all, I don't bake it that often." she said, charming a tender piece of the cake to revolve around my head.

"Wow… I have just had the most amazing thought!" I said sarcastically with a surprised look on my face. "I think I won't go to my flat after all."

Angelina and Katie laughed. Angelina ended my torment by charming the piece onto a plate and handing to me. I responded by wolfing down the whole thing in three seconds.

"Oo gaw annee morr?" I said with a mouthful of heaven.

"Um, translation, Leesh?" said Katie, trying to fight back her giggles. "You keep talking like that, and you'll end up like Fred."

"And what's THAT supposed to mean, _eh_!" inquired Angelina defensively.

"Nothing, Ang."

"More caaaaaaaaaaaake!"

Angelina whipped her head around to me at the sound of my voice. "Gosh, aren't _we _a little eager today, huh, Alicia?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"And since when did your age suddenly turn from 20 to _5?_" said Katie, copying Angelina's eyebrow move.

"Okay, guys, quit the eyebrow thing, just give me more cake!" I said, starting to reach for the cake myself.

Katie and Angelina doubled over in laughter, and let me cut myself a slice. I savored he flavor as I gracefully placed it in my mouth. "Mm…Angelina, you have _got _to make this cake more often."

"Then I'll be sure and move my current residence to the little flat above Kielli's Care for Magical Creature Pets so I can work as your slave every day." she replied sarcastically. "Now, girls, we've got to plan! Our wedding date, for starters…"

* * *

Fred's POV

The shop was dull. By now, all of the teenagers had gone off to Hogwarts, so the only customers now were the few adults and the eager little kids dragging their parents behind them.

George was being an emotional slug. He rarely came to work, he locked himself up in his room, and his appearance was now always ghastly. When he came out of his sanctuary (his room, of course), his hair was askew, there were great bags under his reddening eyes, the buttons were done up wrong on his work robes, his shoes untied, and a smear of chocolate syrup went all the way from the corner of his mouth to the bottom of his neck. Not to mention the smell, either! I swear, the last time I remembered him taking a shower was over a week ago. I tried to avoid him as much as possible.

Today, I was behind the counter, adding up the amount of money in the cash register. Alicia was dusting the high-up shelves where you could hear nothing down below, and Verity was snuggling a Pygmy Puff in her recent snooze. A clatter of bells later, the door to the shop was open and Lee Jordan came walking in. His hands were in his pockets and his eyes were fixed on the floor.

"Lee? What's with the sudden turn of expression, Mr. Happyface? Katie dumped you yet?"

Lee stared at me, and then sighed. "I haven't the best of news, friend."

"Did Katie _really _dump you, then?"

"No!" he said. "Although I thought so, for a minute…"

I put the cash register money aside, and drew my full attention to the disheartened Lee. "What's going on?"

He looked at me with sad brown eyes. "We got into an argument over George… and Alicia. Same stuff, you know. I got really defensive of George, and said how men have those feelings… and Katie—of course—took Alicia's side on the matter, and said that George had his chance at her years ago, he just ignored it and now he'll have to pay. She even said that it would be _good _for Nora to come back and haunt the living daylights out of George to give us all a laugh. So, I said that it wouldn't be funny because George would just have another problem to deal with. Then, the real trouble comes. You know how Nora went to a private academy of magic in Italy, and how Katie was her pen pal?" Lee asked. After seeing my nod, he continued. "Katie's her best friend in London now that she ditched George, and so she decided that she owl her with the news. Nora owled Katie to say that she coming back to London."

"WHAT!" I exclaimed, hopping to my feet. A few yards away, Verity woke with a start and yelped at the sight of the Pygmy Puff she was cuddling. "She's—…"

"_And _she said that she's single, no boyfriends or shaggers-" interrupted Lee, only to be interrupted himself(A/N: A double interruption! Wow!).

"_Lee!_ What in Merlin's name are you two guys talking about? First, I wake up snuggling a Pygmy Puff, and the next moment you're talking about _shaggers, _of all people…" said Verity, gripping the box that she was sitting on top of.

"Sorry, Verity, you haven't heard all of this conversation. Go back to your little nap with the Puff." he replied. Then he turned his gaze towards me again. "Like I said, she doesn't have any boyfriends or anything like that… which can only be trouble for George." he finished, flicking his eyes upward to where my shared flat hiding George was.

"Not even _I_ know why George and Nora started dating, but I know why it stopped. George was glad for it, so he definitely will _not_ be glad for Nora's return." I stated. "When's she coming?"

"Tomorrow."

* * *

Katie's POV

"You told him _what!_"

"Katie, I don't know whether he'll tell George or not, but it's not like Nora's return to London is a _big_ matter." said Lee, folding his arms across his chest. He and I were in my kitchen, preparing dinner. I had just begun testing the beef stew, only to be interrupted by Lee telling me about his trip to the twins' shop, thereby causing the new scalding stain marks down my front. Lee de-charmed the knife that had just cut up several slices of hearty bread. "Sure, she might make a few unnecessary moves on George, but so what? It's not like he'll drop down on his knees and kiss the very ground she walks upon! George is made of stronger stuff. _And _a little birdie in the trees tells me that George hasn't fully given up on Leesh."

I rolled my eyes. "You _still _believe that? Why can't you just believe that George is happy for Leesh and is determined to continue his life?"

"Because he hasn't given up on her."

"Have it your way, Lee. Take the bread to the table, please; we're having dinner in fifteen minutes. Alicia and Brad will be Apparating over soon. It would be nice to have the food already on the table."

"Sure, dear. D'you want milk or water? Wine?" asked Lee as he levitated a platter of bread with his wand to the table.

"Water. Wine's too formal, and milk goes better with the earlier meals of the day. Just fill up that empty pitcher already on the table… on second thought, clean it out first; it used to hold flowers."

"Oops. I guess I'll just dump out this, okay? Is your balcony alright?"

"Noo, Lee, you might dump it on Garrison the Muggle who might think that it's from a _chamber pot_. No risking it. It goes down the sink, Lee." I said, wrenching the pot from his hands as a faint _pop_ was heard throughout the room.

"What's this, Katie? Pot Wars?" said a smiling Alicia, hands on hips as Brad Apparated right behind her. Lee grabbed the pitcher from Katie's white hands.

"Sorry to disappoint you Leesh, but Katie and I were just debating about what to do to clean this pitcher to making it suitable to carry drinking water in."

Alicia laughed. "I'd suggest washing it out in the sink, Lee." she said, pointing towards the kitchen sink.

I shot Lee a dirty look. "I _told _you so, Lee. Come on, admit that I'm right."

Lee sighed. "Will this do?" he said, and kissed me full on the mouth.

I hated to let go, but I was kind of rude in the presence of company. "That'll do, Lover Boy. Let's go to the table and eat."

Alicia and Brad headed towards the table that I had started to walk towards. Lee went to wash out the pot from its old wilted-and-dry flower-ness. He came back moments later, the dishes of food trailing in midair behind him. He charmed them to rest in their places on the table while sitting down in his place next to me. Then, he pointed his wand to the now-clean pitcher.

"_Aguamenti_" he said, and wand shot out of his wand, landing in the jug. A blessing on the food was then said, and he began eating.

"So…" I said, looking up at Brad. "How're you and Alicia doing?"

As soon as he had finished dishing the mashed potatoes onto his plate, he answered. "Great, and as soon as you girls finally plan the wedding dates, we'll be even better. Then we can move onto planning who'll play what part in the weddings."

"We're going to have all the weddings on separate days, so we can all be each other's bridesmaids, Katie." said Alicia putting an ecstatic smile on her face. "If this wasn't actually happening, I'd have thought I'd be crazy by now. Just imagine it…"

"Yeah… it's so breathtaking, really. I remember that we used to fantasize about doing something like this way back into our early years at Hogwarts. Did you, Brad?" I asked, folding my arms.

"I don't really know. I never expected to find the perfect girl and much less _marry_ her, but I guess I was wrong." he replied, giving Alicia a squeeze. She giggled in response.

"You can consider yourself _very _lucky, Brad. I know of a couple boys who would love to be in your place right now." said Lee absentmindedly.

I shot him a death glare, and Alicia jerked forward. "Lee, please, let's not talk about _him_…"

Lee jumped as I kicked him. "Ouch… sorry Leesh. But don't you go thinking that he's going to be regretting that chance he had back at Hogwarts… he's got another."

Alicia's brown eyes widened immensely, and she gripped the tablecloth. "Wh-what? B-but I'm…"

"No, not _you_, Leesh." he replied.

Brad looked dumbfounded. "What's going on? Is someone going after Alicia? Why didn't you tell me before?"

Lee reassured him. "No, no one's going after your dear Leeshy, loverboy. It's Nora, Alicia." he said, turning back to the youngest Spinnet sitting nervously at the table.

"_Nora!_" she said slowly, looking for a comforting look in Lee's eyes.

"She's coming to London tomorrow morning. I just got word last night. She'll be staying in the only suite in the Leaky Cauldron, the one that is deep cleaned twice a day. She _always_ and _only _rents that one out when she wants to stay in Diagon Alley. What a hygiene freak…" I said.

Alicia's gaze was still fixed on Lee, although I knew that she'd taken in my information. "He'd never go for her, Lee. She broke up with him. I know that she has the petite and perfect figure of an angel, but he'd still never go for her. She can ensnare him all she wants, but he'll never budge. He's too fastened to me. He's never let go since our seventh year, and he's not about to now."

"Who is 'he'! Tell me who you are talking about!" exclaimed Brad, who was now getting edgy.

"Alicia, although you may not know it, he's letting go. Slowly, but surely, he's letting go. He's facing the facts, and accepting that he can never build back up what once was built. When Nora will tug, I'm pretty sure that George will let her. She'll take him away and whoopedy-doo." stated Lee, now leaning back in his chair.

Alicia was silent. She loosened her grip on the table, and set her head on Brad's shoulder. Although none of us noticed, there was a tear running down her face.

* * *

A young woman stood on a balcony, looking out at the scene in front of her. The sky was dimming, and the stars were beginning to show. 

Not like she was noticing the stars or the sky, though. She was not interesting in such silly things. Her gaze, instead, was fixated with a figure that was sitting on a balcony not too far from her own. His muscular arms could be seen in the moonlight caressing something that she couldn't make out. It was thin, and quite small. Like paper, really.

She could see each strand of his rich red hair glitter when moved, occasionally tousled by the brisk movements of the evening's wind. How she would love to have hair like that! She was stuck with her complex, jet black hair that went down only to her ears, styled elaborately. She'd seen many boys gawking at her when she wore her special clothes that came straight from her friend who was a designer. She would sometimes volunteer as a model for him and catwalk his beautiful articles. They were mostly swimsuits and other skimpy summer-ware, which fit perfectly on his petite yet graceful, elaborate figure. Any man would surely _die _to be the one to caress it, to be with it forever…

But she would not allow it. Sure, she had had many boyfriends, but had never considered the concept of _marriage_. It was too suave. Many had wanted it, but she would not allow it.

Now, however, she had changed her mind. Taking one last look at the handsome guy sitting on his balcony, she retired to her bed. This time, she would not object to any proposal.

This time, she was going for the kill.

* * *

George's POV

Oh great.

The morning _had _to come, with the sun shining through the curtains of my bedroom window merrily. Why couldn't go and rest for awhile? Then I could finally get some peace.

Because I knew that I would have none as long as Nora would be around.

I slowly rose from my warm bed, and got dressed very sloppily (I wanted Nora to think that I was a slob; she tried to stay away from them). I quickly made the bed back up, a first for me. It would usually be left alone as soon as I had risen from it. I guess I wanted to consume more time. _Anything _to escape from the dreaded Nora!

I looked around my room. Even though Alicia had cleaned the kitchen, I knew that she wouldn't dare touch my room. Oh well. I guess I would have to clean it myself, consuming _more _time… (A/N: Did you get it?)

Blast it! Just as I picked up the first pair of ragged jeans, Fred entered the room. I gave him a nervous look.

"So…any info?" I asked, taking a shaky breath.

He hung his head low to his shoulders, and slowly raised it back up. He gave a smile in the corner of his mouth, and tried to look sympathetic. "I'm afraid so, George," he said, folding his arms neatly. "She's here."

* * *

Angelina's POV

I waited half-anxiously inside the shop. I had only experienced fleeting glances with Nora before, so it would be nice to finally meet her. Katie was the one (besides George) who had been around her the most, so she was best acquainted. I only half-hoped that she would be a snob, for if George fell for her, it wouldn't be _all _bad, but I kinda hoped that she was, so George wouldn't even take a second glance at her again. Heavens, why did he even take the first one?

Fred had gone upstairs to make breakfast in the kitchen. We had all decided that it would be good for Nora to have a home-cooked Weasley meal. Although, I personally didn't think that Fred of George possessed Molly Weasley's excellent cooking skills. Luckily, Lee had gone up to help him. (A/N: In this story, Lee is a good cook. Any questions? Put them in your review…)

Katie, Alicia and Brad were scattered in the store: Katie in the back by the Defense Items; Alicia by the cash register; Brad up on the ladder restocking items. It was Verity's day off. Katie knew that George would be an emotional wreck with Nora back and that Fred would be the best person to calm him, so she decided to help out for the time being.

I was situated by the window, looking for some hint that Nora was approaching. None. Not that I _wanted _her to come or anything… you know what I mean, right? Arrrgh…

Wait! A flick of my eyes to the crowded street later, I saw a flash of tight black leather on a tight bod. A styled mop of black hair crowned it all, leaving the boys in the street to gawk with wonder.

This must be Nora.

"Move, Leesh!" I said hastily as I dove behind the counter. I was determined _not _to be the first one to meet Nora here. I peeked at her as she approached the store's window, looking at the picture of Fred and George in it. She gave a brief smile and kissed the slightly shorter redhead's image.

"Sick…" said Alicia, staring at her in disgust. "And I thought that she was a hygiene freak… Who knows _what _has been on that window…"

Nora put her right hand in the pack on her back and swiftly drew out her wand. With a slight flick and a muttered incantation, the door to the shop opened on its own, letting Nora enter.

"Gosh, she won't even open the darn _door _for herself..." I heard Leesh mumble. I couldn't help but laugh.

As though it were a reflex, Nora's head jerked in our direction. Her nearly black eyes scanned Alicia, and I quickly leapt up to save Leesh from Nora's deadly stare.

"Ah! So _there's _where Fred keeps the spare rotted pastrami. If you wanted it for making some sort of new product, Leesh, here it is." I said slowly, trying to get Alicia to catch on. After staring at me for some seconds, she finally caught on.

"Oh _yeah…_ I was going to give it to George for making new joke products… but I have no idea _what _he'll make out of it."

Brad came to the rescue. He slid easily down the ladder and onto the floor. He approached her slowly, saying, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Nora looked over to him, giving me the chance to slip away and alert Fred. As I approached the doorway to the back hallway to the flat upstairs, I looked back over the heads of the customers. Thankfully, Nora had not noticed my disappearance.

I reached the top of the stairs soon enough, and knocked twice on the door. After a moment or two, Fred answered it.

"Angelina? Any news?" he said, a bit impatiently at that, too.

"Yeah. She's just arrived." I said, and then looked nervously into his dark hazel eyes. "How long are you planning to hide George? You know that Nora's not about to leave London very soon, and if she doesn't see him sometime in the near future, I bet you that she'll come sneaking up to the flat soon enough. And you know we don't want _that_."

"Of course." he replied. "Now, I'll go and inform George. You and Katie try and keep her busy. Leave Brad and Alicia to deal with customers. Next to having Nora sneak up to the flat, we do _not _want her to find out about George and Leesh's relationship back at Hogwarts. Things could get ugly…"

I nodded silently, and set off down the stairs again. But, boy, did I not want to. Who _would _want to go downstairs and face the wrath of Nora?

* * *

Nora's POV

His shop was bound to be stupid. I was not were fond of pranks; when George slipped a charmed harmless snake into my makeup kit, I about had an aneurysm. George had one of the most _gorgeous _faces I had ever seen. With looks like he had, why didn't he pursue a career in modeling? He would have gone far. Oh well.

I stepped out of my suite to travel to his shop in the morning. As much as I loathed pranks and joke products of any kind, I wanted to see George more close-up. Therefore, I would have to go into his—urgh—shop.

I tried to make a fast escape out of the Leaky Cauldron. Heaven knows I hate that place! It is purely full of filth. To stay there I'd take nothing less than their best suite which currently _was_ the one I was staying in. A few men slowed down when they passed me by, as if to look at me longer. Whatever. I didn't really care, I got this often.

Soon enough, I was out and able to breathe the free air. I didn't really like Diagon Alley, though. It was too cramped and built poorly, even if it was held up by magic. I much preferred France, where I had gone to school. My mother liked the idea better of me going to a school of magic in France better than in England. She had grown up in France, even though she did go to Hogwarts herself. I guess she didn't want to make the same mistakes for me as her parents did for her. My father went to Beauxbatons, and met her when he was called to be a delegate from the French Ministry of Magic to the World of Magic convention some time ago. My mother happened to be at the same restaurant he was at when he went out for lunch one day. I half-wish that I _did _go to Hogwarts, though. Then I would have met George sooner.

Five minutes later, I was outside the shop called 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes'. This was George's shop. Oh, not to mention his obnoxious twin, Fred. Even though they are identical, there's a big difference between them. Fred is obnoxious, clingy, and jokes around a bit _too _much, whereas George is mysterious, not quite as joking as Fred, and drop dead silly. I try to _ignore _Fred…he doesn't like me, really.

I looked at the picture hanging in the store's window. I focused my eyes on the figure of George, waving with his left hand and setting fire to a Catherine Wheel with the other. I gave a small mischievous smile, and kissed it, not thinking about _what _germs might be on there. I looked at it again, silently smirking as the bright red lipstick mark on George's face made him blush.

I saw a girl inside the shop huddled behind the counter as I entered. How strange… but, then again, you could expect _anything _to be going on inside the Weasley twins' shop. The girl that was positioned at the counter with the shop robes on looked strangely at me as I beckoned the door to open with my brandished wand. She must be envious, poor soul. She should be, too. Like she could ever have _my _perfect figure, complimented by the fashionably styled clothing straight from the manufacturers? I bet that she goes around every day contaminating her hands with the putrid germs that thrive on handles. I _always _open the door with my wand. Like I, Nora Hannemaker, would touch some unclean door handle? That would be below me.

As I stood in the entryway of the shop, trying not to smell the prank-contaminated air, I heard a laugh coming from the two girls' direction. I stared deeply at the girl not hiding, wondering why she would _dare _laugh at me. Quickly, the hiding girl hid no more.

She shot up, and said, "Ah! So _there's _where Fred keeps the spare rotted pastrami. If you wanted it for making some sort of new product, Leesh, here it is."

Goodness! I could tell that she was lying. She wasn't even _holding _anything. Like she could swindle me, Nora Hannemaker? Gosh, who did she think I _was?_

"Oh _yeah…_ I was going to give it to George for making new joke products… but I have no idea _what _he'll make out of it." said the girl called 'Leesh' (what kind of name _was _that?).

Then, a guy approached me and said, "Is there anything I can help you with?" He looked quite young. About eighteen, I'd say. I heard the faint footsteps of someone leaving amidst the crowds. I looked back to the counter and saw that the rotted pastrami girl was gone, but I didn't look for her.

"Is your manager here?" I said icily, staring into his depths. Haha… he was showing signs of fear. Who wouldn't be by now?

"Um… wh-which one, miss?" he asked nervously.

"George. George Weasley. Is he here?" I snapped. People around were starting to look.

"No, m-miss, he's quite ill, I'm afraid." he replied, taking a step backwards. "Would you like me to get Fred instead?"

"No. I will go and get him myself, thank you very much." I said coldly, and promptly strode away.

"But you're not allowed back there! That corridor is for employees only, miss!" he said, grabbing my arm. How dare him!

I quickly pulled my arm out of his grasp. "Like that'll stop me." I said jokingly. Then, I hardened my tone and added, "Do you know who I _am_, boy?"

Before he could respond, someone else did for him.

"No, I don't think he does, Nora Hannemaker." stated Katie Bell, who had just come out of one of the back rooms.

"Katie! My good friend!" I exclaimed, going towards her for a hug. She back away, and shook her head.

Then, she slowly stepped towards me, and said: "He may not know, but I do."

I couldn't help but laugh inwardly. What was this all about? Katie was the closest friend that I had in London (save George, of course). What would she have to say?

"You're a great false angel, Nora. You bring up a vision of the perfect girl, with the best looks and great abilities. Oh, no to mention to kick-butt attitude, as well. But I, Nora, I see who you really are."

By this point, the whole store was enthralled in our conversation, hanging off of every word we said. I didn't pay attention; I still had something to say.

"Then what am I, Katie. I have been your loyal friend. I notified you first that I was coming. In what ways am I false?"

"You may jest, Nora, but this is no laughing matter. You are the perfect billboard girl, but possibly the greatest seductress I have ever known. You lie to the public, so that they imagine you the perfect role model that makes every right decision she comes across in life. But really, you get as many boyfriends as you have articles of clothing. _And_, currently, you have no men to boast about. You have hangovers practically every week, and drawers full of pregnancy deflectors. You miss being with a man, and I know for a fact that you regret leaving George. He had everything you could every want: money, good looks, public appeal… That's why you've come after George again, isn't it? You want him back. Well, you can't have him."

This time, I laughed out loud. "Really now? And why can't I have him? What, is he engaged to you or one of your two Chaser friends from school?"

"No, all three of us are engaged and making wedding plans of our own. You can't have him, and he'll never succumb to you. The George Weasley I know is stronger than that."

"Stronger, really? People can change. Am I not correct in the fact that at Hogwarts, he was animated and comedic, and now he spends his days moping around in his room and on his balcony, waiting for nothing? People can change, as sure as the wind blows, Katie dear." I said, and turned around. The customers immediately parted like the Red Sea, leaving me a pathway to the door.

Just as I pulled my wand out to reopen the door for my exit, I called back, saying, "Oh, and Katie, don't expect me to return. I like to come _unexpected_." With that, I made the door open and left.

So Katie dear and her precious Chaser friends were engaged? Just they wait till I'm sitting down on a comfy couch, hand in hand with George, making wedding plans of my own…

* * *

Did you like? Hate? Feel Surprised? I loved writing in Nora's Point of View in this chapter, I can feel free to be snotty (hehe). Expect the ch.5 1/2 in the first two weeks of January! 

Just for kicks (and your enjoyment), I'll be bringing in another character. Not a key character, mind you. That would make things even more complicated than they already were.

Mind you, I have all the chapters (save chapter nine) planned out, so there'll be about 12 chapters, 13 parts that you'll be able to read. 12 chapters, including #5 and #5 1/2. Oh yeah.

Big thank-yous to all of my faithful reviewers, and to some people who haven't reviewed before but are planning to! I enjoy every single review, and treasure them with new relish every time that I read them. They're so enlightening (EXCEPT FOR YOURS, AJ haha, you can't impeach me>) Everyone who is not Adam John F. (AJ) would be well to ignore that last comment.

Haha many of you were wanting Nora to reappear... so there she was and will be! I've made a cover page for Frequent Falling (just a sketch), and she's in it. She has a big conflict with Katie (like she didn't have one already)...

Thanks, Fir Suzzalot (Sir Fuzzalot)


	6. Wedding Plans, Part 2

Hello friends! I am soooo sorry for the long wait, I wanted to make this chapter longer than the others, and my math class is killing me.

You'll love/hate this chapter, it's pretty interesting.

No promises on when I'll update next! Sorry! I'll be updating Lilght of Luna next, and also I'm posting the first chapter of a new fanfiction, Rush to Reality. It's a James/Lily fic. The first chapter is an overview of their years at Hogwarts. Awkward, but it'll turn out.

Disclaimer: ...sigh... you know what I own... what I don't... I get tired of putting this up...

Without further ado, I give you... **Frequent Falling, Chapter Six: Wedding Plans, Part 2!**

Now, please read and **review! **:) Sir Fuzzalot

* * *

Chapter Six – Wedding Plans, Part 2 

Tom the Innkeeper's POV

That lazy maid! This was the third time this week that she had not bothered to show up for work. No phone calls, no notices, no anything. I would fire her, but she's the best maid that I have. _And _she's the one that cleans the deluxe suite twice every day.

And there just happened to be someone staying in it.

It was Nora Hannemaker, of course. She stayed in it every time she came. It was a costly room, but she was plenty rich. A hygiene freak, too. She ordered a maid to come and re-clean the room every time she saw as much as a small dust bunny hiding in a shadowy corner.

And now she was ringing, calling up my best (and _laziest_) maid to come and solve whatever problem she had.

But my best (and _laziest_) maid didn't bother showing up for work. I guess I had better see what was troubling her...

* * *

Nora's POV

Oh, the nerve of Katie Bell! Why couldn't she be like the other people I've had a row with? They'd be covering over and packed to run away to the Czech Republic by now. I happened to be simply _born _with that kind of influence. Lucky, aren't I?

All my plans were working well. That six-some of friends and the other boy would think that I went to a private school in Italy, which I told Katie. None of them would know that I actually went to Beauxbatons. They would think that I would take a head-on approach to George, and claim him as mine…but I've planned something _different…_and it would be up to them to figure it out.

As I did my hair in the mirror, I put on my best innocent face and started singing to a tune that I heard over in America:

_Why can't you behave?_

_Oh, why can't you behave?_

_After all the things you told,_

_And the promises that you gave,_

_Oh, why can't you behave?_

_Why can't you be good?_

_And do just as you should?_

_Won't you turn that new leaf over,_

_So your baby can be your slave?_

_Oh, why can't you behave?_

_There's a farm I know near my old home town,_

_Where we two can go and try settling down._

_There I'll care for you forever,_

_'Cause you're all in the world I crave._

_But why can't you behave?_

After I finished, I said to myself: "Am I talking to George… or myself? Why _can't _I behave?" Then I lay down on my bed, and hummed the tune once more. "Why can't I behave? I am Nora Hannemaker… and you, George Weasley, are as good as mine."

And with that, I laughed.

* * *

Tom the Innkeeper's POV

I trudged up the winding stairway the led to Ms. Hannemaker's suite, my borrowed maid supplies bouncing along (I charmed them) right beside me. I could hear her moving about inside the room, probably trying on new outfits.

Just as I was about to knock on the door, I suddenly heard her singing. I'd never heard the tune before; it must be something foreign, like from America. Darn, they come out with a lot of new songs these days. This tune sounded so sweet, and yet so… evil. It _did _suit Ms. Hannemaker, though. She herself seemed evil to the eye.

She finished singing, so I pressed my ear up to the door to see if she would talk next. After singing to yourself, talking would usually follow, and I didn't want to miss it. No sounds could be heard. Still I persisted, and stayed in my spot. Nothing.

Giving up, I removed my ear from the door. But, just then, I heard something. Quickly and soundlessly, I put my ear back against the door. This is what I heard (thank goodness she was talking a bit loudly!):

"…I behave? I am Nora Hannemaker… and you, George Weasley, are as good as mine."

Dumbstruck, I remained in my position with a confused expression on my face. What did she have to do with Mr. Weasley? He was single and co-owned a very popular joke shop with his twin, I knew that. That would mean… a plot! Would young Mr. George be in danger?

I hurriedly ran back down the stairs, not caring that each step I took made enough noise to arouse the whole place.

* * *

George's POV

As if I didn't have enough problems already…

Nora Hannemaker after me was a big problem. Having the threat of her around meant that I would need to lock and bolt my door, glue my windows shut, and cast identity spells around my room (so that only Fred and my friends could get through). There would be _no way _she could possibly get through to me… body and mind-wise.

I was seated at the desk that was at a perfect angle to see out the window, but I didn't bother. Alicia was practically never home, and even if she was, she wouldn't want to talk. It seemed like _no one _wanted to talk to me nowadays. What happened? I used to be the life of every party in the common room, spiking Neville Longbottom's drink with Singing Syrup (makes the drinker sing nonstop to 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' and others, seven sickles a bottle) and joking around with Fred nonstop. Now, I was like nothing but an empty shell: miserable, broken, lifeless.

Yet I still lived. Did Alicia's engagement really cause this to happen to me? It didn't seem like such a big deal, but yet it was. It was like déjà vu, repeating what happened in my seventh year, except there was no boy who claimed her. There was no Brad Kelligry to steal her away, making it impossible for me to reclaim her. I could've reclaimed her…_why?_

I looked over to my bed where indentations of my tired body now permanently lay._ I am useless now, _I thought, drawing out a sigh. _No woman in her right mind would marry a depressed and useless man. She would only marry a man like that if he had good looks… money… an incredible job. That's all I can achieve. I will never have my perfect girl who will love me for who I am._

But there was always Nora. She had known me before, and she was pursuing me… why should I shunt her away? Alicia is lost to me, so Nora's the only chance I have to a loving relationship.

WAIT. Who am I kidding! _Nora Hannemaker_, marry a man and love him to death for who he _is_? I must be going crazy. Nora was rich, popular, and gorgeous with a perfect job; me with public appeal, woman-attraction, great money, and the best job in the world? Nora was smart.

And to her, this would be a smart match.

Before I could think any more, the most unlikely person slammed into my door, with the Secrecy Sensors causing a ruckus of sound behind him. He yelped in pain as he felt the secret electric shock I charmed into the doorknob. I opened the door for him.

What in the world was Tom, the keeper of the Leaky Cauldron, doing standing in front of my room?

With an extremely bedraggled expression on my face, I let him in.

* * *

Slowly, an hour later, I left my room, my sanctuary. I trudged down the stairs to my shop, trying to smooth down my hair. I knew that customers would be in the shop, and they would most likely lose respect for me if they saw me like I was.

When Fred saw me coming down, he dropped the stack of advertisements flyers that he was holding.

"GEORGE! I thought that you'd _never _come out of there! Well, maybe you shouldn't have, under the current circumstances, mate… Nora, you know. And _nothing _can keep that predator from her prey, so it's best that we keep you out of sight."

I sighed, and ignored him. I stood in my spot for a second, rethinking my problem at the time. Did I make the right decision? I would have to find out for myself. I sighed again (such a frequent thing to do now), and started to speak the most ironic thing I would ever think of saying in my whole life:

"Is Nora here? I want to see her."

* * *

Nora's POV

Someone knocked on my door. It would probably be the maid that I asked for an _hour_ ago. Honestly, this would be the last time that I would stay at the Leaky Cauldron! _And _the room wasn't even cleaned _once_ today! And they claim that it's cleaned twice a day… pitiful. The maids in my mansion clean my room _three _times a day… even when I'm not staying in it.

"Come in," I said lazily, too idle to get up from my position on the bed. A maid with her buttons done up wrong and hair askew entered, curtsying deeply.

"I'm so sorry, miss, for not coming in sooner. I was delayed, but now I'm here to clean," she said, catching her breath. She must have run up the stairs, a typical thing for _late _maids to do. I nodded grudgingly, and left the bed.

I went out to my balcony, and looked out across the Alley. I could see people loving about in their flats above the shops. It would be kind of neat to have a flat… and I would probably need one if I were to be with George. He would not be easily parted from his friends… Maybe a place in Diagon Alley, perhaps? No! Why even _think _of it? The place was filthy!

I shook the thought from my head, and looked down at the people. The streets were as busy as even, with people traveling to and fro with large packages under their arms. Another reason not to live in Diagon Alley – it's much too crowded and noisy. I would wake up to the sound of business in the shop, and the small talk from the streets. It would be a living nightmare.

Then, noticing the slow-paced people again, I saw something very out-of-place…

A very tall redhead with robes smudged with food products and whatever else running towards the Leaky Cauldron? Odd… That must mean…

George Weasley was coming to see me.

* * *

I lay back on my bed writing in my diary when I heard the knock on my door. The maid had already left, so I was permitted back into the bedroom. With a sigh, I rose from my place and walked to the door. Even though the maid had thoroughly cleaned the door knob like she knew to do, I still whisked the door open with my wand.

George's half-smiling face looked down at me (A/N: He is tall! Incase you didn't already know…), and I smiled back.

"Hey, Nora," he said simply. "So… are you doing anything soon?"

I gave him a confused look. "Are you asking me out?"

"I guess so… despite the measures of protection that everyone insists putting on me. So… anyplace in mind?"

This was easy. I guess I wouldn't have to go through with my plan of action after all. How lucky that George would come back like a little puppy to my doorstep.

"Well, there is this one place…"

* * *

Fred's POV

I was worried about George. What did he want to see Nora for? If I were him, I'd stay as far away from Nora as I could. Blimey, I'd even move to New Zealand. What in the world would George be doing?

I went up to his room to see if he had made any kind of plans written down, but I found none. I sighed in frustration, and looked harder. Still nothing. Unhappy that my short quest came to no avail, I returned to my post downstairs at the checkout counter.

After about five minutes of boringness, the front door opened with a clang (A/N: the little bell that rings when you open a shop door), and in walked Harry Potter.

Quite an odd thing it was, really. I was about to be quite scared out of my skin from the thought that he'd skipped school, but then I remembered that he'd already graduated. _And_, may I not forget, he'd just defeated the Dark Lord Voldemort in the last year.

He walked over to my post and said, casually, "How're thing's going, Fred? I'm on holiday from work, so I thought that I'd drop by for a visit."

I let out a sigh and replied, "You have no idea. Thing aren't as they used to be."

He raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What do you mean? As far as I can see, the shop is doing well, all of your family is in check (I visited the Burrow earlier), and your friends are at your side. Look, there's Alicia now, checking up on Fever Fudge. Katie's over in the corner, talking to Lee and Angelina," he replied, giving me a small smile. But then, as he looked around once more, his smile faded. He continued, saying, "…but where's George? He's usually right beside you. I've seldom seen you guys apart."

"That's just the problem, Harry. Here—you'd better learn the whole story. We might need you," I replied, happy that I'd finally found an idea.

Harry paced back and forth in my office (we had moved so I wouldn't cause a holdup of customers checking out at the cash register), scratching his beardless chin. After awhile, he tried to clarify things up, stating, "…so you're telling me that George is jealous of Alicia's engagement to Brad because he still loves her and missed his chance to win her back? …Now he's going after this seductress extraordinaire of which she tried to marry him a day ago, adapting the phrase, 'Better late than never'?"

"I guess so, if you put it that way," I replied. (In my head I was thinking, _Gosh, Harry's grown even smarter since he left Hogwarts. Honestly, I think that he's been hanging around Hermione too much… good thing she's already married to Ron… any baby of Harry's and Hermione's would be surely the smartest kid in the Wizarding world!_) After a minute, I said, "What we need now, Harry, is someone to keep an eye on him. I can't leave the shop since there always has to be a manager here (and George is who knows where). I can't send Lee, Katie, or Angelina because Lee's not on holiday from his job, and Angelina and Katie are too preoccupied. And you know that I can't send Alicia."

Harry laughed in a nervous sort of manner. "Then that would leave me, right?"

I gave him a mischievous smile. "Right you are, Harry. There's no one better for the job… this is like putting my brother's _life_ in someone's hands. You'd know how hard that's gotta be for me to do. I can probably only count on you."

"What would I have to do?"

"Oh, just keep an eye on him for me. I have to keep him as far away from Nora as possible, and he goes wondering where she is. That can't be too good, Harry. He's the younger of the twins, so I like to keep an eye on him most times," I said, staring off into nothingness. Then, I turned back to Harry and said, "I would start looking at the Leaky Cauldron, Harry. That's where she's staying. They might not be there, but it's a good place to start."

He nodded silently, his face fixed with an expression of nonchalant-ness. "I'll set off at once. Thank goodness I'm a highly-trained (and certified!) Auror… that gives me access to nearly anyplace I want to go to. So, if they're in a place that guards won't let me through, they'll have to," he added with a grin. "See you, Fred. I'll be reporting back here in a couple of hours. Expect me at about… noon-ish? It's about ten o'clock."

I sighed, and with my tone reeking of depression, said, "Good luck. George is stubborn, and he could either be right now beating her up for coming after him, or eloping." I shuddered at the thought. "Never mind that. Just bring him back, Harry. Bring him away from Nora."

With that farewell, he brandished his polished wand and Apparated from the room, catching the dust up to temporarily fly freely through the stale air.

* * *

George's POV

I looked out at my surroundings. Nora and I had just Apparated (side-along, Nora actually doing the Apparating), but she wouldn't tell me where she had brought us. This place looked familiar… almost _too _familiar.

"You brought me to my _mother's _house!"

It was true. Nora had taken me to the Burrow… the place I would least expect Nora to want to go to. A thundering of sound came. Mrs. Weasley, my mother, was dashing quickly down the stairs, a look of utmost surprise upon her face.

"Oh, _George_! I had no _idea _you were stopping by!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around me. I choked for breath momentarily.

"Mum… it's nice to see you, too," I said, straightening myself out (and checking to see if I had any broken bones).

"It's so nice to see you without Fred, Georgie dear. You two are inseparable! …and aren't you going to introduce me to your …erm… _nice _ladyfriend?"

I tried to hide back my laugh. It was obvious that my mum was confused at the appearance of Nora. She didn't dress like your little girl-next-door. Today she was garbed in a top that seemed to be made out of vines… very revealing. It made her look like she was wearing a push-up bra. The top was thick in the right places, but it had no sleeves and only miniscule vines were draped across her midriff. She also wore cargo pants that even showed off a bit of her bum, making a whole giant gap between articles of clothing. It had to be uncomfortable. Thank goodness I was born a male.

"Oh… yes, mum, this is Nora Hannemaker. We were going out a bit past Hogwarts, and then broke up a couple of months ago. Since she's in town, I decided to take her out on a date…?" I said, looking to Nora. She nodded with her gray eyes fixed upon mine. They seemed so… mysterious. So entrancing… it made me wonder just _how _many boys had she ensnared with them. _Oh well,_ I thought, _I may never know._ Not like it really mattered. Well, I guess so. Agh, I just couldn't make up my mind!

"It's wonderful to meet you, dear. I've never met any of the ladyfriends that George has been with… and I've not the faintest idea of whether he's had any at all," said Mrs. Weasley, eying me as if wanting to gain information. Mum was like that, and always would be.

Nora smiled simply, and took my arm. "Care to give me a tour of the house, George?"

"I'd be delighted to, Nora," I replied. I nodded at my mother, and began walking with Nora into the kitchen. As I looked back at my mum, I could tell that she didn't really like this young alluring model from… wherever she went to school. I walked faster, pulling Nora all the more closer beside me.

* * *

Harry's POV

The whole Weasley family was weird nowadays. Arthur had gotten hold of a remote control to a television (talk about frenzy of excitement); Molly was gotten wind that there was to be a National Bake-Off for the _Witch _Weekly; Bill began speaking French with the most horrid accent to anyone in his path; Charlie was teaching Chinese Fireball dragons how to wrestle; Percy recently got married and moved to Greenland; Ron was being Ron; Ginny was trying to find a cure for stupidity at St. Mungo's; and lastly and most uncharacteristically, a very forlorn Fred has just sent me after George, whom is behaving strangely and distant. What had happened over the past years? … Weirdness, that was sure. The Weasleys were being the Weasleys.

Fred Weasley was being a Weasley, caring for his brother. And, I just happened to run by Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes when he was looking for a way to keep George in check. _"Start out with the Leaky Cauldron,"_ he said. That would be where I would most likely find him, for that was where Nora would be staying.

I had made it to the Leaky Cauldron, but found neither Weasleys nor Hannemakers. I asked Tom (the Innkeeper) if he had seen them, but he shook his head in reply whilst drying a glass.

"Can't say that I have, Mr. Potter. Ms. Hannemaker comes and goes when she pleases, so knowing her, she could be _anywhere_," he said, now dusting off the counter.

"Did you see her in the presence of Mr. George Weasley?" I asked.

"The George Weasley who manages the popular joke shop down the road? No, sir. I hain't (that wasn't a typo) been seein' her around him… but…" he said, now leaning in closer to me. He looked around to make sure that no one was listening in. He continued, his voice barely a whisper, saying, "She's been talking about him strangely up in her room. Stuff like 'George Weasley, you're as good as mine' and whatnot. Ms. Hannemaker is _sure_ to be nothing but trouble near Mr. George, so I informed him. He thanked me kindly, so I left. You might want to try asking the maid that cleans her room, Mr. Potter. She was just up there a couple of minutes ago, cleaning. She should be in the laundry room right now."

I nodded, and whispered my thanks. The laundry room was just upstairs. The door creaked open upon my entry, and I stepped inside.

Loud noise met my ears. A radio was turned on at full blast as an old woman bent over a tub full of sheets, performing cleaning spells between dancing moves. The Weird Sisters were singing (more like _screaming_) about a potion that went horribly wrong. Evidently it was supposed to be a Love Potion, but it turned into the Draught of Living Death. It was rather obnoxious to listen to.

_Oh woe is meeee!_

_My potion has gone soooo wroooong…_

_What should I doOoOoOoOooooo…._

I quickly cover my ears and yelled, "EXCUSE ME!" The maid did not hear me. She kept on dancing a casting spells, lost in the music.

_My family won't let me come back home_

'_cause I killed my loved with the slip of the hand_

_Oh yes, a wrong ingredieeeeeeeeent!_

"HELLO!" I said once more, flailing my arms about.

_Now the face of my lover is stone, stone cold_

_Never to awaken, always to sleep_

_Is there a cure?_

I was getting fed up. The maid was being ridiculous. She place a good silencing charm around the laundry room, but, nonetheless, she need to turn down the volume on the radio.

_Oh woe is meeee!_

_My po--_

The maid stopped dancing. I had hastily pulled out my wand and blown the radio up. Finally, I was rid of that accursed song!

The maid turned and looked for where the smoke and sparks were coming from. She let out a small squeak, and then saw me. Her face turned the palest shade of white, and she screaming, making me flinch.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you really! I'll fix your radio, no harm done. _Reparo_!" I exclaimed, making the radio come back together, shining like new. "Just promise not to turn it on again until I'm gone, okay?"

She still screamed.

"_Silencio_!" I said, and the awful noise stopped. She breathed heavily and sat down on a nearby stool, clutching her heart. I then murmured the countercurse.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," I stated calmly, holding out my hand. She shook it silently, her eyes still staring off into nothingness. "Once again, miss, I'm terribly sorry."

She nodded, her curled gray hairs bouncing up and down. "How could I not forgive Mr. _Harry Potter_?" she whispered, her voice full of excitement.

"Umm… yeah… that's me, I'm Harry Potter. I was going to ask you something—would you mind if I took a minute or so of your time?"

She smiled, showing her teeth that were slowly giving in to decay.

"Are you the maid that cleans the deluxe suite of the Leaky Cauldron, the one in which a certain Ms. Nora Hannemaker stays?"

"Aye, that'd be me. A right nasty girl she is, Mr. Potter. I loathe every second I'm in her presence. 'Tis horrible."

"…and do you know a Mr. George Weasley? I am looking for both persons."

"Mr. Weasley, yes, I've heard of 'im. But why'd you go looking for Ms. Hannemaker? You don't want to, sir. A least, no one in their right mind would want to. They may take on to her flattering appearance, sir, but then they find out the truth. I'll say it again, Mr. Potter, she's a right nasty girl. You don't want to be messing with her."

"Has she said anything about Mr. Weasley, miss?"

"Well, there was this one time when she was asleep. I came in to do midnight cleaning (guests like to wake up and find their room clean here—sheets washed in the afternoon), and she kept mumbling on and on about Mr. George. Oh, I pity him if he's the one she's after. She always gets her way, Mr. Potter. _Always_. And there's nothin' that'll keep her from getting to it."

I paced around the room, scratching my chin. "Have you seen them together?"

"Not at all, sir. I hope they never will be, though."

_She's not lying, that's for sure, _I thought wearily. It would have been more help if she's seen them together somewhere…

"I'm sorry if I haven't been much help to you, Mr. Potter. I must leave now, though, because it's right about time for me to switch out the memory cells in the walls," she said, standing up.

I heard this, and nodded. Yeah, typical for an inn to put memory cells in the rooms. There have always been dodgy crowds hanging around the Leaky Cauldron, Death Eaters included. The guest don't know that every single word they speak is being recorded in the walls, th—_WAIT! _I thought, my mind pumping with a new idea. _How could I be so stupid! I knew that this place has the walls chipped and celled, I could've just asked for the tape from Nora's room!_

I slapped my forehead, and called after the maid. She turned around, putting a smile back on her face.

"Yes, dear? You need something?" she asked.

"Yes, in fact I do. You have _every _room chipped and celled, right?"

"Yep, 'deed we do. Every single one of the rooms, down to the rat-holes between the walls," she replied, a note of pride in her voice.

"Excellent," I said, my smile growing, "If you would let me, I would like to borrow the tape from Ms. Hannemaker's room."

"Anything for you, Mr. Potter. After you defeated You-Know-Who almost _single-handedly_, it's the least I could do," she added with emphasis.

"Erm… honestly, it wasn't that much… yeah…" I struggled to say. I always blushed when this was mentioned, because I didn't really like taking credit for it. I was at least pointed out twice a day on the streets when I went out to do some shopping. I never get a moment's peace, but killing Voldemort was something I had to do. I guess getting praise was just part of the deal. If you don't have praise but want it, constant eulogizing would seem heavenly, but when you actually get it, deadly it more likely seems.

The maid now beckoned me to follow her. We were out of the room, and headed up the hallway. Past tons of doors, give or take a few staircases. The occasional windows on the walls were now clouded with oncoming fog. It would probably rain in the next couple of hours.

Eventually, we came to an abrupt end when the hallway ended. Now, only a dull wooden door lay ahead. "Follow me," the maid said, opening the door.

"All right then," I said, even though I had no idea where she was taking me.

Ahead lay a set of wooden steps. It was a fairly high stair, no doubt giving a good view of the Diagon Alley to whatever was up there. We ascended up the flight, each step making a small creak as we went along. The maid knocked at the door on the top, and no reply came. She pressed her ear to the door, and pushed it open.

Inside was a very nice room. It had to be the only deluxe suite of the Leaky Cauldron, no doubt. It had to be Nora's room.

The woman pulled her wand out of her frizzy mane of hair tucked under a maid's cap, pointed it at the furthest wall, and said, "_Hremoris deicio,_" yellow-orange sparks flew out of the tip. The room's walls flashed electric blue, and the faded image of thousands of words covered them. "_Cofledo en faneir,_" she finished, waving her wand about. The sparks mimicked the color of the walls, and all at once, the words on the walls were wiped off of their holdings and into the wand as if a vacuum were attached to the tip of it. The blue color faded from the walls, and was gone in seconds.

Then, she turned to me. "Hold out your wand, Mr. Potter," she said happily, "Do you know the Transferring Spell? I can never get the pronunciation right on it. For some reason, I keep making the _pëh_ sound, when it should be the _peh _sound. You know it, right?"

"Yes, I do," I replied. I carefully held out my wand just barely an inch from the maid's, and said, "_Transfepeha!"_

Immediately, a continuous miniscule string emitted from her wand and went into the tip of mine. It was gray, and looked blurry to the eye. Once I would be somewhere safe and _completely _alone with no chance of disturbance, this string would form itself into words in midair that I would be able to read. Ah, the joys of magic!

"Thanks, miss," I said, bowing my head slightly in gratitude. "You have no idea how much this'll help me."

"I'm _honored_, Mr. Potter. It's a joy to be helping you out, sir, such a joy. It'll be undoing my debt to you, sir," she said, smiling.

I frowned. "What? I don't recall-"

"The Dark Lord, Mr. Potter. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. You do us all a favor by killing 'im, so this is my payment."

"Okay, then…" I replied, putting on a very confused smile. Now if I could just get away…

And so I did. I slightly bowed to her once more, said my farewell, and left the Leaky Cauldron. I dashed back down the alley to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, puffing. Fred looked up at me, his eyes shining with hope. He frowned slightly upon seeing that I was alone, though.

"Harry!" he said, waving. "Any word of George? Any at all?"

I gave him a mixed look. "Sort of. He's not that the Leaky Cauldron, so I managed to get the recording of Nora's room," I said, holding up my wand. "Come into the backroom with me. I'm about to examine the tape. Then, I'll know where George is."

He nodded, and followed me as I dodged customers and went into the backroom. I sat upon a crate, as did Fred.

"How'd you get the tape so fast? If I'd asked someone for an important item of their property, they'd tell me not to even look or think about it. I mean, it's not every day a famous supermodel comes and stays in one of your rooms. That's something special, it is."

"Well, the maid _was _willing. She said that Nora was evil and out to get George, and she was, like, in awe of… me. She said that giving me the recording would be a sort of 'payment' to her made-up debt. Honestly, she owes me _nothing_. I've been involved in almost every conversation that includes Voldemort since I've been born, and he's been out to get me a way's in, so it was kind of my… _citizen's duty_ to kill him."

Fred snorted. "Right, I forgot about that. Mate, you're like a freakin' _trump _card! Practically _anyone_ will be willing to do practically _anything_ for you… and women are nearly falling before your feet! Lucky…"

"Well, it's a good thing I have Ginny, right?"

"Yeah… but it makes a great deal of women pretty ticked off, I tell you now."

"What, some women don't like my marriage with Ginny?" I asked sharply.

Fred snorted once more. "Dude, of _course_ they are! They want you all for themselves! You must be blind or something, I swear…"

I shuddered, getting the thought out of my head. "Fred, let's check the recording now, before George leaves from wherever he's at."

"Good point," said Fred as I raised my wand.

"_Previo verbalion!_" I said, causing the very tip of my wand to turn bright silver. Then, at breakneck speed, a long ribbon shot out of it as the sound of a female voice could be heard. The voice was icy, and had a drawling possessive tone to it.

"_..time here and they _still _don't keep it properly cleaned. If I ran it, they'd use the better cleaning spells, and they'd use them thoroughly. They call this their pride and joy of the Leaky Cauldron, Deluxe Suite my foot! I bet they use the old cleaning spells, the ones they invented back in the 1800's. Goodness, _last _time I stay here…"_

Indeed, it's was Nora Hannemaker's voice. The ribbons were going crazy spelling out the words at the rate that Nora was going. This must be when she first arrived in the room, so, naturally, this would be where the recording began. Even though it would take awhile to actually reach the point where she left somewhere with George, it would help to listen through the whole thing for clues. I noticed a skipping in the recording, like it had been stopped and started frequently. Apparently, Fred noticed it, too.

"Harry, mate, why does it keep skipping? Spells like these usually don't malfunction in any way," he said, scratching his head.

I thought it over, trying to waste no time. "The spell must only be active when there's someone in the room, I guess," I said at last.

"Oh," he replied, sitting back in his chair. He didn't say much for awhile after that.

After about thirty minutes full of fast-forwarding and tedious listening, I finally caught something that made me poke Fred so he could hear it, too.

"Ouch," he said, rubbing his side. "What was that for?"

"Listen to the tape," I said quietly. "This part could be useful."

He nodded silently. This was as the next part went:

…_Diary. I'm a couple days into my stay, and you could say that a bit has gone on. _(At this point, Nora would be writing in her diary whilst reading the entry out loud.) _So far I've paid a visit to the Weasley twins' shop, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. A loud place it is, full of hurried shoppers on a tight schedule trying to find things that don't really mean anything. They're just a bunch of silly toys, really. _

_Well, if I want George to be mine and mine **alone**, then I'd better learn to get used to them, or persuade George out of the business entirely. That can be easily done. To get George **alone**, and away from all of his namby-pamby friends will be easy to do, though. I just have to make him want me. I've met all of his Gryffindor Chaser friends, including Katie Bell. We've had a row, and she thinks that I'm a great false angel. That just makes me want to laugh. I don't really care about what she thinks of me. Go ahead; let all the employees and friends of George Weasley warn him against me! He'll most likely stay up in his room. I want to be a shadow of a thought, like a temptation. Here he is, with the perfect life, swimming in business. Then, his ex-girlfriend turns up, and he hasn't even seen her yet. All of his friends are warning him to stay away from her, but why should he? He has no girlfriend, and he probably won't get one as good as her. He has no real reason to keep away. The chance of a lifetime, the one that absolutely **no one **would want to miss. Marry Ms. Nora Hannemaker? I think he would._

_If he turns up like a little doggy upon my doorstep, I know just what to do. I'll take him on a date, but I won't tell him where. All the more mysterious, I say, and in my case, the more mysterious the better. That will only make him even more curious about me. I'm no Seer, but I can just feel it. It's easy enough for even a stupid Muggle to predict. He's going to end up with me, whether it takes a couple days or a couple weeks. I don't care. I've got all the time in the world. Well, at least until mid November. I've got an important photo shoot coming up then._

_For a first date, I think I'll go personal. I—_

_a knocking sound is heard_

"_Hey, Nora… So… are you doing anything soon?"_

"_Are you asking me out?"_

"_I guess so… despite the measures of protection that everyone insists putting on me. So… anyplace in mind?"_

"_Well, there is this one place…"_

_a whooshing sound is heard_

The only thing heard past that was when the maid and I came into the room to collect the recording. I turned to Fred, and grimly smiled.

Fred responded by swiftly kicking a nearby crate. "She didn't tell us where!"

"I know she didn't, so it's our job to figure out where she went with George," I replied. "The only thing that I caught that might help would be that part where she said that she'd _go personal _for the first date."

"What d'you think that could mean?"

"I dunno… _personal…_" I said slowly, scratching my chin. "Fred, what do you think of when I say the word 'personal'?"

Fred gave me a funny look. "My underwear, my secret files, my house, my belongings, my family, why?"

"I'm trying to figure out where Nora's taken him, of course. So, by your info of 'personal' stuff, Nora would've possibly taken George to his underwear (let's hope not!), his secret files, his house, his belongings, his family, and so forth."

"…Let's hope that we can rule out his underwear, Harry."

"Yeah, we probably can."

"And, I don't think that Nora would be pursuing his secret files and belongings, so we can rule out those," Fred supposed. I nodded silently. "Harry, I don't really think that she'd take him to our family or his house, either."

I sat in silence for a minute. If none of those, then what would it be? Not underwear, not secret files or belongings, not family or house… wait… what about…

"Fred, what about your parents' house?"

* * *

Molly's POV

I'd seen George's new girl before. It must have been in the papers or something like that, curse my poor old memory! Her name was Nora Hannemaker, a really attention-getter. The only Hannemakers that I'd heard of were either American, French, or Swiss. This girl _did _look French, if you asked me. But, strangely enough, she didn't sound it. By the way her voice was, you'd have thought she'd lived in London all her life. Whatever she was, I still didn't approve of her. Her clothes were simply abnormal and inappropriate. I wouldn't even lead my Ginny down the very street that sold those clothes… if you could even call them clothes.

George had gone to show Nora around the house, leaving me alone in the kitchen. Arthur was at work, sadly. Even though we've been married for so many years, I still miss him when he's gone. I did a bit of clean for about half of an hour, when George and Nora came back down.

"Can I fix you two anything?" I asked unwillingly. I didn't want to serve that _girl _anything in my household, but I had to be a good host.

"Sure, Mum. Anything you fancy, Nora?" George said, turning to Nora who had just sat down at the table with him.

"I don't really care, George," she replied. I was practically screaming inside when I saw her take my son's hand.

"I know," I said, putting on a mask of enthusiasm to hide my angered looks. "How about I make you two some pancakes? It's never too late in the day to have those."

Nora laughed, and George smiled. I crossed through the kitchen to where the griddle was situated.

"_Lacarnum Inflamoré,_" I said, igniting the device. I murmured another spell, sending a jet of pancake batter out from my wand. I hummed a popular song sung by Celestina Warbeck, my favorite singing witch. George and Nora began talking away over at the table. I tried shutting out the noise by humming louder. The pancakes began to sizzle and steam nicely, turning the hue a nice golden brown, so I turned them over with a flick of the wand. Soon enough, I had made two large stacks of steaming cakes and set them in front of the two. I then conjured some syrup, and George dug in. Nora began on her first pancake minuscule bites at a time.

"Ooo, fanks, Mum," George tried to say, "Feez aw weally goo."

I took that as a compliment, and went over to clean the kitchen slowly and silently. The next time I looked over there, George was about two-thirds of the way done with his stack, and Nora had just barely finished half of a pancake. Goodness! If George ever considered marrying her, she wouldn't really compliment the family very well. She hardly ate a thing! There would be no doubt that she was a model, wearing clothes that all of the men in the world could drool over. She probably wouldn't eat any of the food prepared for her. What a waste! If I had my say in what girl George was to marry, I'd pick our family friend, Alicia Spinnet. She's well-rounded, and known George for a very long time, ever since we met back when her family was traveling around. Nora—the girl's anorexic! Well, at least she appears that way. If only I could put some meat on her bones, and then drive her away…

"Mum… MUM!"

I jerked out of my trance. Nora was looking at me funny, for I had been staring at her the whole time, but my mind had taken off into outer space. Now, I looked back at George. He was done with his stack, and calling my name.

"Mum, Nora and I are done here… we're going to head somewhere else, but I don't know, Nora's choosing."

My sight then traveled to Nora again. She had only eaten one of her pancakes! I was right; she was a food-waster! What would I do with all of those leftover pancakes?

"All right then, George, just let me have your dishes now, before they get crusty," I replied whilst pulling out my wand.

George carried over his and Nora's plate, and set them down just beside the sink. I sighed as I charmed the scrubber and pitcher to clean them off. Such a waste of food…

"We'll be leaving, now," said Nora as she held her wand in her right hand and grabbed George's arm with the other. "Thanks, Mrs. Weasley."

She raised her wand slowly, and a whooshing _pop_ sound was heard. The curtains were caught in the oncoming wind, and settled silently as it passed away. I plopped down at the kitchen table, holding my head in my hands. What had become of my George…?

My mourning was immediately silenced as another _pop _was heard, and the image of Harry Potter came into view.

What?

He stepped gracefully onto the floor, trying to smooth down his impossibly unkempt locks of dark hair. I looked at him in awe. What in the world was he doing _here_, at the Burrow! He should be at work!

"_Harry_! My _goodness _what are you doing here? I'm delighted to have you, of course, but you should be at work!" I exclaimed, standing up.

He looked around wildly, and answered, saying, "Don't fret, Molly, I'm on a holiday. They've got more than enough Aurors working at the Ministry this week, so I have the week off."

"Oh, that makes sense… but why are you _here?_" I asked once more, trying to follow him as he started poking around the house.

He turned around and sighed. He looked awfully tired. "I'm looking for George and Nora, Molly, have you seen them? If they're not, then I'm in a terrible hurry; if they are, then I won't be."

"I'm sorry to say you just missed them, Harry dear. They just came by some time ago. Nora wanted George to give her a tour of the house and whatnot, so they did, and then they came back down here to have a bite to eat. I'll have to say, I'm not fond of that Ms. Hannemaker. By the way she dresses and acts around George, you'd think she was a slut!"

"I missed them? Shoot! Sorry Mrs. Weasley, I'll have to make this quick. Fred and I are trying to keep Nora _away _from George, because Nora's up to no good. We think that she's trying to lead George into marriage, which would lead to never seeing him again. She's sure to take him out of the business, and move to France or someplace like that. She wants him because he's popular, rich, good-looking, whatever. We're trying to get George away from that chance he has of throwing his life away."

"Ooo, no wonder I hated her. Anything I can do?"

"Do you happen to know where they went?"

I shook my head. "No, George just said that Nora was deciding where they went, I don't know."

Harry sighed. "Well, if they come back here, just quickly get me over here. Apparating's faster than Flooing, so that ought to do the trick."

I nodded, and Harry Disapparated to who knows where.

* * *

Harry's POV

I looked the rest of the day, but I couldn't find a trace of either of them. When the clock finally tolled in ten o'clock PM, I decided to do one last thing before turning in.

The Leaky Cauldron's daily crowd was thinning out. Men were collecting their hats from the pegs on the walls, ready to Apparate home; foreigners were leaving tips at the bar to retreat to their rooms; Tom the Innkeeper himself was clearing off tables for the night. I nodded at him as he waved.

"Tom," I said, getting his attention, "is the maid that cleans the Deluxe Suite still here?"

He nodded. "Yeah, she's up there now. Anything I can get for you, Mr. Potter?"

"No thanks. I'm on a tight schedule before I turn in. And I'm on holiday, too… what a shame. Oh well, it's for a good cause."

Tom laughed. Thank goodness he didn't inquire! That would've taken some time. I thanked him for the information, waved to a few acquaintances in the bar, and set off up the Leaky Cauldron stairs to Ms. Hannemaker's room.

As soon as I'd come to the wooden door at the top of the last stair, I knocked three times. The maid was positively delighted when she saw me in the doorway as she opened the door.

"Mr. Potter! Always a pleasure to see you, sir! Do you need anything?" she asked excitedly.

I smiled and said, "Yes, I think there is. Is Ms. Hannemaker back from her date yet?"

"No, not yet. Don't tell me you're looking for _her_, sir! She's positively evil, I told you before!"

"She's not here? Good. I'm going to need you to do something for me."

"Yes?"

I looked around to see that no one was coming, and leaned to her ear so none could hear. "I'm going to need you to set up a recording in this room that records picture, too. I need to make sure that George doesn't come home with her. That way, if he doesn't turn up back at his house, we'll know one place where he's not."

"That I can do, Mr. Potter. I know for a fact that Ms. Hannemaker changes in her bathroom, so I'm sure that won't be a problem. And, adding to that, do you want me to broadcast in where you're staying? That way, you won't have to wait in receiving the recording."

I smiled at her. That was a stroke of brilliance! _I _hadn't even thought of it! "That'll do perfectly. Can you put it on the left wall of Fred and George's living room?"

She nodded. I said, my farewell, and Apparated to the twins' flat, not wanting to waste any time.

When I arrived at the flat, Fred looked very confused as to what was on his kitchen wall. I laughed, and informed him of the matter. It seemed that George wasn't at the flat yet, and Fred had no idea where he was. The hotel room was empty, but it wouldn't be for long.

Five minutes of quiet listening finally ended when Nora and George Apparated into the Deluxe Suite. Fred sat bolt upright in his chair, staring at Nora with disgust.

"_See you tomorrow, George?"_

"_Sure…but I'm only available after seven o'clock PM, because I have to work beforehand. Are you still picking the place, or is it my turn?" George asked as he kissed her hand._

"_Mmm… I've one more place in mind, and then you're free to choose wherever you want us to go," said Nora, sitting down on her bed. "George… I don't think that it's safe to go back to your flat. Fred knows that you're with me and you know that he doesn't like me."_

_George sat down next to her and rubbed her shoulders. "Don't worry. I've got a place that I can go. I'll see you tomorrow, Nor."_

_Nora rested her head on his shoulder. "Yeah… I'll see you then."_

"_Promise not to come to the shop? Then the others might start getting suspicious that we're back together."_

"_Well, we are, Georgie dear. Why hide that fact?"_

"_I don't know… it just makes the whole situation more…mysterious. And I know how much you like mysteriousness."_

"_Yes… you know me too well, George Weasley."_

_With that, she kissed him. Passionately, too. He finally pulled away when he checked his watch._

"_Ten twenty-seven. They're expecting me soon. I'd better leave."_

"_See you."_

George Apparated out of Nora's room, and Nora went into her bathroom to get ready for bed. There was nothing more to see of importance to the matter.

Fred turned to face me as I made the screen on the kitchen wall disappear for the time being. "If he's not staying in Nora's room, then where is he?"

"I don't know. He said that he had a place to stay, and they were expecting him… I don't know."

George came to work on time the next day (I spent the night in Fred's flat and stayed at the shop the next day), looking perfectly normal, and well-rested. He worked wonderfully in the shop, and time just flowed quickly by.

When it was time to go, he practically vanished the very moment his shift was over. My chase had now commenced once again.

But, I didn't find him that night, or the next, or the night after that. On the last night of my vacation, I didn't find him, either. Where did he go with Nora?

I went back to work the next day, and asked Fred if he'd seen him. He was silent, but eventually I realized that I needed to get over there immediately. I arrived, and found every one of his friends gathered in the back room. Apparently, they were awaiting my arrival. Fred looked purely in shock, but yet he was fine. Alicia seemed on the verge of tears, and Katie and Angelina were yelling at George. Nora was right beside George, taking his hand in hers. Lee was sulking in a corner, and Brad was nowhere to be found. Verity wasn't present, either.

"What's going on?" I said, a look of pure concern upon my face.

"Exactly what I'd like to know," said an angered Mrs. Weasley behind me. "Fred just called me, but he wouldn't tell me what the matter was. I decided to come over and find out for myself. George?"

George looked up at everyone with a smile on his face. "Hello, Mum," he said, plastering a smile on his face. "I've just told everyone. I just proposed to Nora. We're to be married soon."

Mrs. Weasley screamed, and tried to get at him. I held her back while feeling fury myself. How _could _George? He knew better than to marry that… that… _whore! _Nora was looking at smile, a covert smile creeping upon her lips that seemed to say '_he's all mine now'._

I feel that we've lost him for good.

* * *

So... who all hates me now? (Like you didn't already) It was TONS of fun writing this chapter, because I loooove writing Nora. Who doesn't enjoy writing an evil Mary-Sue? 

Like I said before, no promises on the next update's time. Might take awhile...

Now, I won't keep you from pressing that lovely little review button.

It's right there! Just below! Man, am I desperate, or what!

Sir Fuzzalot


	7. George's Surprising Discovery

Whee! Well, hasn't this update taken long? About half of a year. So painful. Well, I'm trying to squeeze writing fanfiction in with writing my book, school, theatre, choir, piano, family time, and reading. Writing is my favorite thing to do, but it takes so much time, and my mother only lets me on the computer for about 2 hours a day. That's also why it take so long.

I hope that you'll like this chapter. Took me forever. I did about half of it in a month, though. This is that climactical chapter, where important stuff happens. I think that the most important stuff of the story happens in the next chapter, though. And I don't know when that'll come out. I have to write it.

Just so you know, George and Alicia are my favorite characters, and I do not enjoy keeping them apart. I hate Nora. I don't really like Brad, even though he is just a kid lookin' for his soul mate, which he finds is Ms. Spinnet. Mehh... could make me barf.

**Disclaimer**: IdonotownHarryPotteroranyofitscharacterslikeFredandGeorgeorAliciathoughIdowishso...IonlygetthestupidoneslikeNoraandBrad...Mehh...couldmakemebarf...allofthecoolnessofHarryPotterseriesbelongstoJKRowling,notme,Iclaimrightsonthisplotthatseemslikeasoapoperasoitreallyseemsquitestupid,butItrynottomakeitso.Wouldyoulikesomepeanuts?Sorry.Idon'townthoseeither.Toobad.

Now, I won't keep you anymore. I hope that you didn't actually read that disclaimer. It is kinda long.

Bring forth the popcorn and soda, 'cause it's... **Frequent Falling Time!**

* * *

Frequent Falling

Chapter Seven – George's Surprising Discovery

Alicia's POV

What would we do now? Reality was smacking us in the face, and Life was twisting us every which way. Like George had commented before, everything was getting more and more strange back when I quit my job be a traveling reporter for the _Prophet _and moved back to London, getting a job instead at the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes (A/N: shortened to WWW, but _not _the World Wide Web). Sporadic as everything was, somehow it couldn't fit more together perfectly than it did. I guess that separation causes a need for togetherness—thus, less than three months after being reunited, all six of us were engaged.

Not to each other, though. Well, Angelina and Fred, Katie and Lee are, though. It's just George and me that stand out. I'm going to marry a really nice guy named Bradley R. Kelligry, or just Brad for short. George is engaged to some beeeeep _whore _whom—I swear—has just gone after him for his popularity, good looks, and riches. She must have had at least a _dozen _plastic surgeries to get the man-killing looks that she has. She flaunts off her body to anyone in her path, wearing skin-tight skimpy clothes, that aren't in the least bit conservative.

I know for a fact that George has been crushing on me since our third year at Hogwarts, but hasn't really done a thing about it. I mean, even though a _ton _of hard things came up for us in our sixth year (A/N: Hehe, a clue on Years With or Without You). I even liked him, too! Some boys… they just can't take that step forward, take a risk… not saying that George _doesn't _take risks, of course. It would be a bogus thing to say. Has anyone not heard of the great Fred and George Weasley, pranking the whole of Hogwarts, taking incredible risks? I guess it's just in the female section of life that George doesn't take risks in.

You know that saying, right, where "you never really value something until it's taken from you", or something like that? Well that's kind of true for me. I mean, I was very happy to be back in London with the presence of my friends (especially George), but I guess I took it for granted, for time is fleeting. Now, George is completely lost to me, lost to the depths of Nora Hannemaker, and oh how I miss him now! If only I'd kept him closer, away from her. A life in regret is almost as bad as no life at all, and so I'd like to move along, just forget about him… but it's just too _hard_.

As of the past week or so, days for me have been avoiding all men – even Brad. I worked overtime at the WWW, and when I wasn't, I was at home, just across the street, sprawled on my bed with a few books and a bowl of popcorn. Angelina's come by a few times, seeing if we could actually _do _something sometime, but I just have no interest in anything whatsoever. I kinda made me wish that I was back with my old job, traveling all over Europe in search for a good story. Then, I'd _always _have something to do.

For the small time that I actually came in contact with George, it was for a few brief seconds in the shop where he'd have me do something, like dusting the shelves or taking over check-out duty. His face was always nonchalant, which was always quite unusual for someone being just engaged. Now, I know for a fact that _girls _are usually always extremely happy and positive, and most often boys are too. But George… knowing him personally, all the while he's engaged, he should be happy-go-lucky every single minute. Now, it's like looking at a ghost, just a shadow of what used to be. If he's not happy, then why is he with Nora in the first place?

I thought this over as I absentmindedly played with the curtains in my room. Angelina was on my bed looking at one of the books that I'd been reading.

Without warning, she gave out a wild snort. "You've been reading '_The Strange Adventures of Gerald, the Goofy Gatekeeper'_?"

"Hey!" I said, snatching the book from her hands. "I've been bored! Besides, aren't you the one who reads the '_Handbook to Operating Your Muggle Devices_' in your free time? You're the one to talk."

Angelina blushed scarlet. "Well, Mr. Weasley gave it to me for my birthday, and I don't really want to disappoint him by not reading it. It would be kind of rude." Then, she strode over to my bookshelf and put the book away. "Besides, I think that if you have some _Muggle device_ and can't charm it to make it tap dance for you, then I say that it's useless and chuck it into the rubbish bin."

I, having been born from a family of Muggles, ignored her comment, and slumped down on my bed next to where Angelina was sitting. I sighed. "There's _nothing_ to do around this place."

Angelina laughed. "Come on, get off your lazy bum, we'll go to Katie's house and watch sappy movies."

"Why?" I whined, rolling over.

"Because we're _engaged women_. That's what we _do_."

"…All right, let's go," I heaved, getting up off the bed. Just as I grabbed my wand from my beside table, I looked at Angelina, who was just getting up. "Wait, shouldn't we give Katie a warning before we barge into her home?"

Angelina rolled her eyes. "Alicia, Alicia… you really _have _been brain-dead, haven't you? We'll Apparate into a secluded spot by her apartment, and then _walk up to her front door_. The Muggles might see us if we Apparate straight to her door. And I, for one, do not want to be sent to Azkaban. Got that?"

I nodded, and Angelina and I Disapparated into the mid-afternoon air.

* * *

A split-second later, the figures of rugged bushes and yellow-orange leafed trees came into view. I stretched, and looked around me. A leaf from a tree overhead fell into my hair. Angelina looked around, and started walking out of the autumn grove. I closely followed behind her. 

"Is this the way to Katie's apartment?" I asked, stowing my wand away.

"Yes… it should be just around this corner, Leesh," she replied, indicating the edge of the stone wall that was set right along the trees we had just left.

Without saying another word, we rounded the corner and saw the white-plastered look of just the apartment complex we were looking for.

"'Jensen Signature Apartment Suites'," I read, looking at the sign written in very curly writing. "It's always looked French to me."

Angelina snorted. "Well, she's always had that kind of French streak in her. C'mon, the faster we get there, the more movies we can watch."

I shrugged, and continued walking. We went up a flight of black metal stairs embellished with the French-style swirls. Angelina nodded politely to a passing man, and I just simply yawned. I looked at the doors. 102, 103, 104… this kept me occupied until we finally reached Katie's apartment – number 136.

Angelina knocked on the door three times as I leaned against the railing, sighing. After a few seconds, that familiar hurried shout of "Coming!" rang out, and the black door was opened, revealing an out-of-breath Katie Bell.

It took her a short moment to recognize us. Once she did, she grinned and pulled us into a traditional bear hug.

"Angelina… Leesh… it's so good to see you. I've been trapped with Lee nowadays; he's got nothing better to do," she said, catching her breath.

"Well, he's gotta find something to do. Leesh has been so incredibly bored that I dragged her over here," Angelina said, pulling away and crossing her arms.

I rolled my eyes. "Hey, I was doing some _quality reading time_, I'll have you know."

Angelina snorted (she does that a lot!), and retorted, "If you can call Gerald the Goofy Gatekeeper's adventures reading at all."

Katie wore a confused expression identical to one of Neville Longbottom's trademark ones. "Okay… I don't really think that I want to hear any more. Come on inside, before you catch a chill."

That was true; since it was autumn, the cold winds were starting to come. Angelina and I quietly stepped inside to her rec room to slump on the couch. Unfortunately, Lee was already on it, and fast asleep for that matter, too. Before we knew it, I was on his chest and Angelina was on his legs. He woke with a start, yelling and moving around. Angelina and I were immediately tossed onto our sorry bums on the floor. Lee sat up, clutching his rapidly beating heart.

"Lee, are you alright?"

"Oh my gosh, I'm soooo sorry, Lee!"

Lee blinked repetitively, putting his eyes into focus. "What happened?" he asked groggily.

The three of us couldn't help laughing. Who else but Lee wouldn't know what happened when someone sat on you?

Katie helped him up, giving him a hug. "Lee," she said, a look of amusement on her face, "I think that you should do something today."

Lee gave her a strange look. "I _have _been doing something. Napping is something!"

Katie rolled her eyes, and then turned back on us. "So… what should we do?"

Angelina responded. "Due to Alicia _situation_, we thought that we'd spend some _female _quality time together. Without the presence of _certain males._"

Getting the Lee, Lee threw up his hands in surrender and said, "Fine, I can tell when I'm not wanted."

"Oh, Lee…" I said, shaking my head, "It's not that we don't _want_ you here… well, maybe it is, but…"

"—We just need some of that _female alone time_. Unless you are a female, Lee, you'd better skedaddle," finished Angelina.

"But where am I supposed to go?"

Angelina rolled her eyes. "_Honestly_, Lee, you have friends besides us! Go see what sort of disaster Fred and George are planning next or something of the matter…"

I nodded my head in agreement. That'd be good for Lee. If he spent any more time with no one else but Katie, then I'd swear that he'd be turning into a female any day now.

Lee shrugged his shoulders lazily, and Apparated away. After he had gone, Katie turned to us and said, "Do you think that we were a bit harsh on him?"

"Nah, it's _Lee_, remember?" I said reassuringly, "he and the twins take most everything as a joke!"

Katie ignored me, and said, "Now then… just _what _kind of female bonding time were you guys planning?"

"Oh, just sitting around here and watching sappy movies. Nothing much, really," replied Angelina.

"It's all Angelina's idea; I had no say in it. I don't really care what we do," I pleaded for some reason in case that was not what Katie wanted to do.

"Sounds like a plan," said Katie, clapping her hands together. "You guys look on the television for movies, and I get some snacks. I won't be more than five minutes."

We nodded, and Katie vanished with a wave of her wand.

As soon as she had gone, I plopped down on the couch (which happened to still be warm from Lee being on it). Angelina sat down next to me, and pulled out her wand to turn the TV on. Once the screen appeared, the widely-known face of Oprah Winfrey beamed at us. Evidently, she had just made a funny joke on her show, _Oprah_, which caused the audience to laugh hysterically.

"I swear, over in America they _worship _Oprah Winfrey," I said boringly. "I don't get it."

Angelina turned to me, shrugging and said, "I dunno. I have a second cousin that lives in Boston that's been on the show once. She was having problems with her son, Ricky, who'd been acting up. Ricky's been picking flowers for his mum instead of dealing drugs after school now."

I sighed. "I think that it's just odd. Let me change the channel, I know where all the good places to find movies are."

Angelina tilted her head upwards in approval, and I flicked my wand, changing the screen to channel 8079, or the Romantic Movie Channel, as I liked to call it.

"_Jenisa… wait! JENISA!" _the TV screen said, as a man with gorgeous locks of black hair chased after a girl in a long, expensive dress. He stopped, and just watched her run. The girl didn't even respond when her name was called; she was obviously determined to ignore the hunky man and keep running.

"Any idea what this movie is, Leesh?" asked a bored Angelina, who was trying to busy herself with playing with her hair.

"Hmm… well, that actor looks a lot like Jude McVenschorn, you know, that popular actor from Sweden," I said drearily, yawning. "But I have no idea what the movie's called. I think that it's nearly over, though… yes, here come the credits."

Indeed, the so-called "Jenisa" was running into the distance, with the credits scrolling up the page in front of her.

"Leesh… you were right, that's your Mr. McVenschorn," commented Angelina unenthusiastically. I shrugged, now flipping through channels with my wand. Just then, a faint _pop_ was heard and Katie's figure reappeared into the room clutching overstuffed bags. From what I could see, she had bought a couple packages of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Licorice Wands, Chocolate Frogs, and a ton of Snickers bars. They were, after all, Katie's favorite Muggle treat.

"You lot decide on a movie yet?" she asked, depositing the bags on a kitchen counter. Seconds later, I heard the familiar sound of kept fizz as Katie opened a bottle of butterbeer.

"Oi, Katie, whatcha pick up?" I asked, taking my eyes away from the television screen.

"Oh, just your average junk food," she replied casually. "I also got some Muggle snacks from the Muggle corner store just by Diagon Alley. So, if you'll be wanting any Reese's, Snickers, Skittles, KitKats, Mars Bars, Twix, or those little Peach Rings, I got 'em right here." As she listed each one, she held it up for us two to see from the couch. I was gladdened by her getting Muggle candy; I had grown up with my Muggle family, and knew nothing of a Pumpkin Pasty or a Sugar Quill until I entered the Hogwarts Express at age eleven.

"Oh, and Alicia," she said, catching my eye, "I've recently learn from a helpful source that you like a certain Muggle drink called _Fresca_." With that, she grinned and held up a six pack of the citrus soda.

I gasped and scurried over to the kitchen where Katie stood, the soda in her hands. "Oh, you wonderful, _wonderful_ woman," I exaggerated, ripping out a can from the pack. I pulled the tab (to open it), and inhaled the delicious scent of citrus mingled with carbon dioxide. I quickly took a swig of the fruity concoction.

"Having a good time?"

I wiped my mouth, and said interestedly, "Who tipped you off?"

Katie laughed, and absentmindedly flipped her blonde hair back. "Well, I've always known that you've had an odd obsession over some certain foods,"—upon saying this, Angelina gave a cough that sounded distinctly like '_spice cake!'_—"So I got curious and asked your mum."

I laughingly gaped at her, and asked, "What else did she tell you?"

Katie tried her best to look innocent and, looking at the ceiling, said, "Well, she did mention a secret stash of Milk Duds that she's had which has _always _run short before she even touched it. Aaaaaaand, away from food, she told me about—"

"_What _did she tell you about!" I exclaimed, suddenly looking very stern.

"Wehhhhllll, she informed me of a certain _boy_ whom you knew when you were very young, and happened to really like—"

I rolled my eyes as she was saying this. It was so predictable to bring up the subject. I interrupted Katie, saying, "I have already told you guys. I am _well_ over George. It's just his life that he's throwing away that I'm upset about!"

This time, Angelina spoke up. She waved her hand over the matter, and said, "No, no, that wasn't what Katie was going to say at all. But, you seem to not be able to get our Georgie off the mind, eh, Alicia? And _engaged_ too, naughty girl!"

"What I was going to say—before you so rudely interrupted me—was that in… oh never mind, let's go watch a movie," Katie said, dumping the sacks of snacks (A/N: hehe sacks of snacks!) out on the countertop. She grabbed a Snickers bar, and headed over to the couch.

I sighed, and thought, _there's no point in arguing_. So, I took a sip of my Fresca and followed Katie, with Angelina just behind me.

* * *

General POV

Verity was just taking a box of Reusable Hangman back to the Storeroom when a faint _pop_ echoed through the still corridor. She jumped in surprise, dropping the box. Little men scrambled out of it, looking desperate to escape.

"Oh, sorry, Verity, let me help you with that," said a very tired looking Lee Jordan. "_Accio!_"

Verity looked up just as a bunch of hangmen were zooming into Lee's outstretched hand.

"Thanks," she said, going to collect them from him.

Lee deposited them in her hand. He looked around, and then said, "Have you seen either Fred or George?"

Verity chewed her lip, apparently think about it. "Now that ya think about it, I haven't seem them either. They both took the day off, leaving the shop to just me and this new recruit – Leslie Jacobs. Nice girl."

"Then where's Brad? He works here, too."

"His dear mum's sick. George let him go; he knows how much Brad cares for his family," Verity replied, stuffing the hangmen back into the box.

Lee laughed. "Nice to know that he's been talking to him. To Brad, I mean," he added, seeing Verity's confused look. "Well, I guess everyone's just moving on, then."

"What d'you mean? Aren't they supposed to?"

"Yeah," Lee sighed, "but usually in these kind of situations, Girl mopes, Guys mopes, Girl regrets, Guy regrets, Girl goes after Guy, Guy goes after Girl, cancelled weddings all over, and a new one arising. Whoopey-doo, they're both happy, wondering why they even got engaged to someone else in the first place."

Verity raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Where'd you get that idea?

Lee blushed. "Oh, I read fanfiction… Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, you know…"

Verity whapped him over the head. "Weirdo… Well, I gotta get back to work. See you, Lee!" she called over her shoulder as she walked away.

_Great, _Lee thought, sighing. _Now I have to find the twins on my own. And Heaven above knows where they might be…_

Deciding to take action, Lee took a guess and proceeded down the hallway to the stairs.

He looked up, and saw the door ajar. A thin mist was coming out of it – Fred and George were probably experimenting. He shrugged, and started up the creaky steps.

Just as he was about halfway up, the crack between the door and the frame suddenly emitted dangerous amounts of smoke! _There could be a fire in there! _Lee thought, his heart beating rapidly. _I knew that their experiments would turn out bad someday…_

So, he scrambled up the remaining steps, opened the door to the smoky room and bellowed, "FRED! GEORGE! DON'T WORRY, I'M COMING!"

Unexpectedly, one of the twin's voices rang out calm and clear. "Coming to where? If you came for a cup of tea, come sit down, Lee."

Lee bewilderedly fanned his hand in front of his face, trying to clear the smog. He still couldn't see a thing… but he definitely smelled something.

"I thought that I told you guys not to push down on the lever too hard…"

"Tsk tsk, Bradley, have you forgot that is _Fred _that you were talking to? What goes in one ear goes out the other," said what must have been George.

Lee could hear someone sniffing. "Let's do that again. I must say, this machine makes a wonderful air freshener. Who wouldn't want their apartment to smell like waffles?" remarked one of the twins. "Where did you get it?"

"What are you guys talking about?" asked an impatient Lee.

"Oh – hang on – _Evanesco."_

At once, all of the waffle-smelling substance was being sucked into a wand nearby. Soon enough, Lee could see that it was Brad's. He and the twins were all seated in the twin's sitting room, the twins on the couch and Brad in a recliner. On the coffee table was a mysterious-looking rectangular black box that the twins were investigating thoroughly.

Then, Fred looked up. "Lee! Come, sit down," he said, sliding over to make some space on the couch.

I walked over slowing, glancing from the box to Brad. I didn't expect to ever see him in the twins' flat as long as I lived. Sitting down, I said, tilting my head towards the box, "Soo… what _is _that?"

"Oh, Brad's been showing us this… what's it called? Um… some sort of '_master of the fog_' dealy. Great, now I feel like Dad, trying to figure out what a Muggle item is called…" said George, shaking his head in shame.

Brad laughed, picking it up. "It's called a fog machine—simple enough for you two?—that simply emits fog when you push down this lever." Then, he lightly moved the lever, causing a tube at one end to smoke. "Normally, the machine would become to hot to hold, but I've charmed it to keep cool."

"What's it for?" I asked Fred and George. "I've never known you two to be interested in Muggle stuff."

Fred replied with a wave of his hand, saying, "Dad's birthday's coming up, and we thought that we'd get him something …erm… _special_. You see, we've been getting him socket wrenches and odd Muggle toys that you get in Happy Meals, but we thought that this year he should have something that he could throw parties with…"

"… Since Brad here tells us that no party is complete without a fog machine. But, frankly, we don't know _why_… they just spew fog."

Brad rolled his eyes at the twins' remarks. "Well, I, unlike you two, have been brought up with some relatives that are Muggles. In their world, this thing is really cool. It just creates… _effect. _Wands can create fog too, sure, but the fog doesn't have that same effect, or, more likely, the smell."

Fred shook his head. "I must admit, I can't make fog that smells like waffles. Maybe Harry can, Brad, you should ask him."

Brad shrugged, and George turned to Lee, saying, "So, Lee, aside from fog machines, do you need anything? Or did you just come up here to 'save us'?"

Lee laughed at his assumption when he was walking up to Fred and George's flat. "No, I was just wondering where you guys were, I wanted to hang out. Verity told me that you guys took the day off, and Brad did too… wait, Brad, I thought you were given the day off to care for your mum?" he added, suddenly remembering.

Brad waved his reassuringly. "I did. When I went over, my father had already taken work off for the day, and my sister's in town, so they told me that I wasn't really needed. So, I just went around exploring the Alley, when I stumbled upon Fred, who said that he needed help with a birthday gift. So, here I am."

Fred nodded. "I was going over to Alicia's to see if she was home, 'cause, you know, Alicia comes from a Muggle family," he said, with nods from both George and Brad. "But, she wasn't home, so I decided to go over to the Leaky Cauldron for a butterbeer, but I found Brad first."

"Now that I think about it, a butterbeer sounds like a good idea. I haven't had one of those since last Wednesday. You up for one, Fred?" asked George.

"Sure thing, George. You, Lee?"

"I've got nothing better to do. I've just been sleeping on Katie's sofa all day. She kicked me out so the three of them could spend some 'girl time' together," Lee recalled.

"I _was _wondering where Alicia had gone to. I first went over to her flat to see if she was home, but she wasn't. Well, I guess that it _is _good for the girls to spend time together. From what I've seen, they hardly do anymore," commented Brad.

George stood up from his spot on the couch and stretched. "Doesn't it all make you wish that you were, let's say, fifteen again? Back when we were all falling in love for the first time, away from all the mess of being 20… or 19," he added, nodding in Brad's direction.

There was a short pregnant silence, and then Fred jumped up and patted George on the shoulder. "Well, we best get going to the Leaky Cauldron before the best barstools are taken by the afternoon rush."

Brad got up, stretched, and pulled out his wand. Fred, George, and Lee did so likewise (except for the getting up and stretching part).

"Well," said George, looking over at Fred, "ready, Gred?"

"Ready as you are, Forge."

Then, all at once, four wands were raised, and four beings disappeared.

* * *

Angelina's POV

Whoof. Five hours straight of watching sappy movies, and the three of us were starting to get pretty bored. We still remained glued to the tube, though…A mountain of wrappers and cans stood in the middle of the floor, piling almost as high as the TV in Katie's entertainment center.

Alicia looked frustrated at it. "Angie," she whined, looking over at me so lazily draped on the loveseat, "If that pile gets any bigger, we won't be able to see the good part where Kevin mistakenly drinks Esmerelda's love potion and goes after Mandy!"

"Shh!" I urgently said, glaring in Leesh's direction. "Leesh, you just ruined it!"

"Oh… sorry."

I looked over at Katie, who was curled up in the recliner, moving along with the recliner's rocking back and forth silently save for the little _creak _that was heard every other rock. I rolled my eyes when I noticed that she was snoring peacefully. Her long blonde hair was all askew on her fair face, floating up and down from each passing breath. I picked up a Licorice Wand from off the floor and whapped her with it.

"Katie," I hissed quietly (so I could still hear what was going on in the movie), "the object of us all hanging out together is not to _sleep_!"

With a sleepy sigh, she turned over in the recliner. "Jus' five more minu's mum…" she said, hardly discernable.

I whapped her again.

"Aliiiiciaaaaa, Angie's hitting me! Make her stoooop," she whined. Alicia looked at Katie's pitiful image and laughed.

"Okay, Ang, I think that Katie's awake now," she declared. "And I will see to it that if she falls asleep again, we'll leave."

Katie continued to pout. "You guys are so mean. I wonder why I hung out with you at Hogwarts in the first place."

I had an easy answer to that. Katie had always been telling us why she hung out with us. "Because you always used to tell us that if you despised our guts, then you'd be stuck with the twins and Lee, and _heaven _knows what you would've turned out like now if you did exactly that."

Katie froze for a second. Then, she shook her head as if she were trying to get something off it. "Nooo, you did _not _need to say that, Angie… _never _say that again."

I raised my right hand and declared, "On my life."

Then, all of a sudden, I felt a sickening splat on the left side of my face. Slowly, with a shaking hand, I reached up and touched my cheek.

"What is this?" I asked, feeling much shaken.

Then, Katie snorted. "Angie, you have _chocolate_ all over your face!"

I looked over at Alicia, hoping for an answer as to why the left side of my face was now covered in the gooey substance.

Alicia was playing with her fingers, trying to avoid my gaze. I her lap, there was a Chocolate Frog Card. That must mean…

"_Alicia! _You threw a _chocolate frog _at me!"

She blushed, but said, throwing up her hands, "I didn't throw it! All I did was open the box!"

"_Alicia…_"

"Look, you know the frogs are jinxed! All I did was open the box, and the frog did the rest! I saw it! It exploded when it landed on your face!" she said in a high-pitched, terrified voice. Alicia knew not to mess with me when I was angry. She'd been a witness to the incident where Lee thought that it would be funny to decorate the Gryffindor Common Room with Angelina's bras, levitating all throughout the room. It would be hard to tell whose undergarments they were in normal circumstances, but unfortunately, on each on them there was written "PROPERTY OF ANGELINA JOHNSON"… Lee couldn't sit down properly for a week.

I thought about Leesh's alibi, and then turned to Katie, asking, "Hmmm… Katie, we know our Leeshy to be honest, right?"

The blonde nodded. "You would've thought that she drank Veritaserum for breakfast."

I cracked a smile, and vanished the chocolate from off my face. "All is forgiven. Now, back to the movie…"

* * *

At ten o'clock, we were all fast asleep. Nearly all of the snacks had been consumed, Alicia having drunk a whole pack of Fresca all by herself. She was now lying on the floor of Katie's apartment, a pillow under her head and a soda can still in her hand. 

Katie was curled up in the recliner, mumbling something about Lee. An imprint of her wand was on her face, due to her rolling over onto it. Since the television was still on, she would flinch and wake up for a half second every time the talking was loud enough.

I was in my same spot, dreaming about my upcoming wedding. It was horrible! I had arrived at the planned spot on time, but I found out that I was wearing those awful robes that Ron Weasley wore to the Yule Ball! And then, Fred turned up wearing a nice tux, but he was shouting at me, saying that he didn't love me anymore because my mother made a carrot cake for the reception instead of the chocolate kind that we'd agreed on. So my mother went and slapped him with all the might of a forty-five-year-old mother and grandmother. They got into a fight, and everyone cheered them on, leaving me to hide in the shadows, crying. It had started raining, my makeup was smearing, I had just broken off my engagement because my fiancé hated the cake, and my mum was getting in over her head by picking a fight with him.

Luckily, I woke up before anything worse happened. I yawned widely, and stood up. I turned off the TV, and shook my head.

"I am soo taking a shower when I get home," I said to myself after sniffing my shirt. "Kaaaaaatie! Alicia!" I bellowed, pulling off their blankets. "Time to get up!"

I was answered with two identical moans, and a pillow thrown at my head, which I dodged.

"Angelina," Alicia croaked, "Couldn't you just have woken us up in the morning? It's still the bloody nighttime!"

"Sorry, Leesh, I just had an idea. I just wanted you to know before tomorrow, so you wouldn't plan anything that might mess it all up," I said, staring the two down.

"_Fine_…" said Katie sleepily, "but make it quick, I'm tired."

"Okay," I said, sitting back down. "Well, it concerns our weddings. As you both know, we have done hardly anything about them. We all planned to do our weddings on three consecutive days, right?"

"Yeah," Alicia replied, pulling her blanket back tight around her. "But what about George? There's four weddings, so, four days."

Katie rolled her eyes. "Pfft. Like Nora will want her wedding to have anything in relation with _ours_? I've seen them lately, holding hands, talking about having a wedding in _China_ or _Japan_," she added irritably. "No, they won't have anything to do with _us_. They'll be off kissing under the Chinese cherry blossoms, while we'll be wedded in the English snow."

"Yeah, you're right, Katie," I said sadly. "But, back on my idea: You know how each of us is getting married on either December 4th, 5th, or 6th?"

"Yes, you've said that already. Just get on with it," Alicia mumbled.

"That's only a month away. We have to pick our dresses! I propose that we go shopping tomorrow, after lunch. There are a lot of cute boutiques in London!"

"Only if you want to empty your bank account, Angie," Katie said humorously.

"Yeah, they're too expensive. We can go somewhere else, like… Scotland? They have cute wedding dresses there!" exclaimed Alicia.

I shook my head. "I don't know about you, but I am _not _apparating that from with a wedding dress. Come on, there's some cute shops in Worcester. We'll go there."

They both gave their nods of assent. Since that was decided, after a few minutes of talking more about the weddings, we soon fell back asleep, and stayed that way until the dawn of the new day came.

* * *

Brad's POV

We arrived at the Leaky Cauldron at about 4 o'clock, not a half-second more than we left Fred and George's flat. I stowed my wand back in my pocket, and surveyed the scene before me.

There were wizards scattered along the giant table (just a bunch of smaller tables put together), reading the _Daily Prophet_ or a book that they'd brought along with them, while sipping at their beverage. Off in the shadows, there was what looked like a hag putting strange things into her drink, which was furiously emitting black smoke.

Some haggard men in shaggy robes (with the exception of a few who were wearing their 'Muggle wear') were hunched over at the bar with a pint of mulled mead, droning on about how badly their day was going. Tom, the innkeeper who was positioned behind the bar, was trying his best to listen, but, in truth, he didn't look a Knut interested. A second later after wiping off the counter, he looked up and exclaimed, "Ah, Mr. Fred, Mr. George! Ah, Mr. Jordan, too! Excellent, come have a seat! And Mr…"

I lifted my head from looking down at the ground. "Kelligry. I don't come here that often, sorry."

"No matter, Mr. Kelligry. Just as long as you haven't been going to somewhere else!" he added with a derisive laugh. "I've been losing all of me business to other _new _pubs nowadays."

"Aw, Tom, nothing beats the Leaky Cauldron. We all know that it's the best wizard's pub in all of England!" George boomed, taking a seat at the bar.

"Hear, hear!" a stout wizard from the table said, raising his mug.

That made the innkeeper smile. "Ah, thanks, Mr. Weasley. Whenever you lot come in, I know that there's a cheery spirit that follows," he said. "Here, have a butterbeer. It's on me."

The rest of us sat down on the stools by George. One by one, Tom handed us a bottle with a twinkle in his eye.

Fred raised his as if to give a toast. "To Tom, the best innkeeper and bartender that the Leaky Cauldron's ever seen!"

"…and the _only _one it's ever seen…" I heard Lee mutter jokingly under his breath.

Various shouts of "To Tom!" or "The Leaky Cauldron!" were heard throughout the dining area as wizards and witches all raised their glasses.

"Cheers," George said with a smile. Then, he took a great swig from his bottle. The rest of us did so likewise, savoring the warmth that flowed through us to our very bones.

* * *

Katie's POV

The next day, we woke up late and feeling absolutely ghastly. The amount of junk food that the three of us consumed last night was anything but good for our bodies.

I looked at the clock on the wall above the television. It was one of those cheap clocks that looked like a cat, it eyes and tail swaying back and forth for each passing second. 11:57, it read.

I mentally swore. We had slept in that late? Okay, so it wasn't that late for _some_ people, but I usually woke up every morning at about 8:30-ish (A/N: Wow, me too!). Also, we were going shopping for our weddings in an hour! There was so much to do, so little time!

So I started by getting Angelina and Alicia up and moving. Ten minutes later, we were seated around my kitchen table with a plateful of waffles and a cup of coffee.

"Hey Katie," said Alicia, after swallowing a syrupy bite of waffle, "You remember back at Hogwarts every Saturday morning when we'd sleep in and our breakfast was everyone else's lunch?"

I nodded. After our homework was done, we'd stay up all night with Fred, George, and Lee in the Common Room, playing Exploding Snap and just joking around, along with a few jugs of butterbeer that the boys would get from the kitchens. "Though, Leesh, I'm positive that we weren't the only ones."

That was true. We had friends in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff who also stayed up all night along with others. It was mostly the first and second years that went to bed before eleven.

As if she was reading my thoughts, Angelina, with a wishful sigh, said, "I remember when we were first years, and thought that it was crazy how everyone could stay up so late. I wish that we were all young and so naïve again…"

Then, seeing our dumbfounded looks, she added, "…but it's loads more fun to be twenty!"

"Yeah," I said, my eyes misting over, "I don't think that in my little first-year mind I would've ever imagined that I'd marry Lee someday… I didn't even think that I'd live to _be _twenty!"

Both girls gave me odd looks. "What made you get _that_ idea, Katie?" Alicia asked.

I blushed. I was such a superstitious kid. "I thought that You-Know-Who ("Honestly, Katie, he's not going to come after you if you use his name.") would come after me whenever I was alone and murder me."

Angelina smirked. "When I was that old, I thought that old Voldy was dead." Then, a gloomy look passed across her face. "Of course, I was wrong. How wrong I was."

All of a sudden, I was filled with sympathy for my friend. Angelina's aunt, who worked in the Ministry, was killed by the fiend shortly after we graduated. Now, the tides were turned and it was his turn to die. The Wizarding World has been rejoicing ever since his cold body hit the earth after a lengthy battle with Harry.

After a depressing silence, Angelina lifted her head up, and put a smile on her face. "Well, I'm going on home to prepare for Worcester. See you in…" she checked her watch, "ten minutes? Then it'll be 12:40."

"Sounds good," Alicia said, standing up with Angie.

"So, I'll see you two back here in ten minutes? Sounds like a shorter shower than I wanted," I joked.

"Well, for your sake, we'll make it twenty minutes, Your Majesty," Angie fake-retorted, giving me the hairy eyeball.

"I was just kidding!"

"See you in twenty, Kates."

"…fine…"

And then, Alicia and Angelina Disapparated, leaving me left with only the company of the droning television.

* * *

At one o'clock, we had all Apparated to Worcester (behind a couple of dumpsters in a shadowy alley, of course) and were walking down Pleasant Street looking for the cute wedding dress shops Angelina was talking about. 

"Look!" Alicia shouted, pointing a little ways ahead to our left. "That's a wedding shop!"

"Yep. Flora's Bridal, makers of fine dresses and more. Let's go there first," said Angelina, now walking towards it.

"Okay," I replied, following after her. Alicia walked along with me, looking rather nervous.

"I don't think that I've ever been in a bridal shop before. I bet that I'd look so much that one of those eager teenagers!"

"No, don't be a prat. Teenagers only go in there because they want to get married and they're just trying to get everything ready… so they don't end up like us."

"Why?" asked Alicia, looking lost.

I smiled, laughing on the inside. "Our weddings are coming up in just three weeks," I said, "and we have done nothing about it."

Then I looked back at her. "But, we, unlike them, are not teenagers, and we _are _getting married."

Alicia shivered. "Ooh, that just scares the willies out of me. You just stop and think, _I'm getting married_."

I didn't say anything. I just gave her a shoulder hug, looking at the shop that the three of us had just approached.

Angelina went right on in, setting off the common shop-bell. "Oh," she breathed, gazing at all of the wedding dresses. There were endless white ones, flowing to just an inch off the floor; ones with tight bodices, subtle decorations sewn upon them; there were long sleeves, short sleeves, half-cut sleeves, spaghetti straps, or no straps at all. The three of us were in awe of all of them.

Immediately, Angelina rushed over to the closest one, a long white dress with no sleeves that had little jewels attached around the neckline. "How d'you think this would look on me?" she asked enthusiastically.

"It looks wonderful, Angie," Alicia replied, her voice airy.

I stepped forward to examine the dress that Angie was holding up against herself. "C'mon," I said, taking her arm, "We're not going to get much done by standing here."

Angelina quickly took the dress off of the rack and started browsing as a result. Alicia smiled and shrugged her shoulders. Then, she followed suit.

Now left alone, I turned my gaze to a rack of spaghetti-strap ones…

* * *

Fred's POV

It was the next day now. We all turned in at about 11 o'clock, since Brad's mother expected him back at the house by then to welcome his sister home from a vacation to the Caribbean.

We closed the shop today just out of sheer laziness. I didn't feel like working, and neither did George. And, Alicia called in saying that Angelina and Katie were forcing her to go dress shopping today. She sounded pretty excited… I'm just glad that I'll never have to do all that stuff. We men just have to grab a nice black tux, a silky tie, a shiny pair of shoes, and a haircut and we're set. Women, however, have to find the right length, the right fitting bodice, a beautiful fabric, a neat and subtle design, the right hairdo, some new jewelry, new shoes, a manicure, a pedicure, teeth whitener, the right perfume, and then you top it all off with the most expensive and pretty kinds of flowers for a bouquet. Isn't it wonderful to be a man? (A/N: Well, actually, no. I like being female.)

So, fulfilling our part of the matrimony service, the four of us men went to the closest tuxedo rental. Oh, and afterwards, go to the supermarket and buy a bag of rice.

'Tux for your Bux' was just down the street from the Leaky Cauldron in Muggle London. We stopped in there, and browsed through the different colors of ties.

Lee thought that he had met his soul mate when he came across the pink paisley ones. "It'll look great with the color of my tux!" he whined in response to our protests.

"Lee, mate," George said, clapping a hand on Lee's shoulder, "all of the tuxes here are black. There's no other color to compare it to."

"Yeah," Brad added, while looking at a silk blue bowtie, "And I won't be surprised if you wear it to your wedding and Katie marches right back through her steps when she sees it."

Even Lee laughed, but with some disappointment. Brad was fitting in nicely with us, and was even starting to warm up to George.

"Besides, Lee, Katie says that your colors are _lavender and lemon_, not… pink… and… stupid."

George snorted. "I didn't know that was a color."

I looked suspiciously from side to side with my eyes squinted. "You didn't hear it from me."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Do you think Nora will care if I have a clip-on tie or a _tie_-tie?"

* * *

Angelina's POV

I just stepped out of the dressing room, and twirled around, watching my dress twist around me. Alicia and Katie _ooo-ed_ and _aaaahh-ed_ as I did so, making me smile.

"Do you like this one?" I questioned, although I already knew the answer.

The dress I was wearing was a V-necked strapless dress with a sheet of the white fabric of the dress pinned up by a few stitches in the back about halfway up to the bodice, leaving the rest of the dress to flow underneath it. The bodice looked as if it were made from lace, and fit perfectly around my curvy figure. There was also a veil, but I wasn't wearing it.

"Yes," breathed Katie, her eyes misting over. "It's a keeper."

Alicia let out a short laugh. "So has every single other one that she's tried on, Katie."

"Yeah, I know… but they look so perfect!"

"Fine…" I said, rolling my eyes. "Katie, you're next."

"Good! I've got a great one lined up next!" she exclaimed.

Alicia and I laughed. "I think that she's even more excited about dress shopping than I am," Alicia said.

"I dunno about that, Leesh. Just being around you in this shop makes me feel like one of those eager young wishful girls."

Then, Katie came out from her fitting room wearing her 'great' dress.

It _was_ great, too. It had four spaghetti straps, two to each side. There was a pattern of cherry blossoms still on the branches spanning from the left side straps to the right hip. The skirt was nice and not too big, and the train was purely amazing. It wasn't too long, but long enough to emphasize its beauty while not overdoing it. It was the same silky material as the dress, with smooth ribbon lining the edges, while the pattern of the cherry blossoms delicately covered the center. The veil topped it all off with the prospect of having real cherry blossoms on it. The dressmakers would provide the blossoms for both the veil and the bouquet.

"The only problem with it, though," Katie said dolefully, "Is that my colors are _lavender and lemon_, not _cherry blossom pink_."

"Well, it's only the cherry blossoms on the veil that will actually have the color. The others are just images sown in white thread," Alicia commented.

"Yes, I know," Katie replied.

"Well, that can be easily solved," I said. "Just replace the cherry blossoms with some sprigs of lavender."

Katie bit her lip. "Yeah, we'll just have to notify the dress makers that when we buy it, we don't want the blossoms."

"Wait, no. You're forgetting, Katie," I said suddenly.

Katie jerked her around from looking in the mirror to my direction.

"What? I'm forgetting what?"

I smiled. "My colors. Soft Pink and Cyan Blue. The cherry blossoms I could use, if you'd let me have them."

Katie grinned. "I didn't think of that. Of course I'll let you have them! We all _did _agree to help pay for each other's dress."

"… Along with the help of our mothers…" Alicia added.

That was true. Every single family of the three weddings was pitching in. The Weasleys had found a beautiful grove nearby their house to have the weddings in (they also were providing their house as the reception spot for the three parties… all at the same time); The Jordans and the Johnsons were paying for all of the food; the Spinnets were paying for every single bridesmaid dress (and all of Alicia's dress!); the Kelligrys were paying for a well-known wizard band to play at the reception; the Bells, very well connected with a cruise line business, were giving each couple a mostly-free cruise to Brazil and back.

"So, if I don't find a dress I like more, I'll be getting this one," Katie declared as she began to step back into the dressing room.

"Yeah… well, it's your decision," I said.

"Alicia, your turn," Katie yelled from behind the thick curtain that served as her fitting room door.

"Okay then…" Alicia awkwardly said as she stood up.

Five minutes later, Alicia emerged from the dressing room just left of mine. Her dress was taken in with collective gasps and a round of applause.

She smiled as she looked down at herself.

"This is the one," she said with emphasis. "I can feel it."

* * *

George's POV

Half an hour later from starting, and we were finished with our wedding preparations. All that remained was the actual day itself. I was sad that I wouldn't be attending theirs. Nora and I would leave on the morning of their day to have ours. It was especially depressing because I was going to be Fred's Best Man… but now Lee is. Lee couldn't decide between the two of us, so we were going to be the Best Men (A/N: Oh, too true.). Now, Lee just has Fred.

And me, I have no one. Nora and I are going to Japan to be wed in a pagoda in some rich guy's private garden.

Three weeks… it doesn't seem like that long.

I just still can't wholly get over Alicia. I just want some cool plan where I turn into some macho James Bond and steal her away while Brad is rotting in some snake pit or off eloping with Nora (A/N: Don't the readers wish that…). But it's just not that easy. Well, I shouldn't even be thinking of this stuff, anyway. I should be madly in love with my fiancé, thinking that she's the apple of my eye, and… whatever. Sure, I like Nora and all, but… I guess I'm just marrying her to give it a shot. Just to do it in spite of everyone else.

Who was Brad Kelligry, anyway? Few boys I knew at Hogwarts had ever managed to even pluck up the courage to ask Leesh out. And they were older than I was! Brad's like… eighteen. Nearly nineteen. Who was this guy?

Alicia deserved the best, and if I wasn't going to have her be mine, it would only be my duty to make sure that she was getting it.

* * *

Two and a half weeks later and I had found hardly anything. The only Kelligrys that I found were this one middle-aged guy on the Muggle Internet who was looking for a hot date, and the 'Kelligry Silky Shampoo' company, founded by a beer belly who'd been banned from nearly every pub in the British isles. 

Luckily, no one had found out my search. Fred was wondering why after my shift at the WWW I would hide away in my bedroom or leave immediately to unknown places.

Also, Nora went off to go skiing in the Alps just a week ago, and wouldn't return until the day before we left to Japan.

Sometimes, I would be as bold as to ask Brad directly about his family. He said that he had a good mother who worked full-time, but still cooked breakfast and dinner every day and did the cleaning and laundry. Originally, she didn't work, but she had to when she divorced his dad. She still hadn't remarried. He had a sister older than him, and a younger brother at Hogwarts. Only he and his younger brother were wizards, which made them especially close. When Brad told of getting his letter to Hogwarts, he commented that his 'mother said that somehow she'd known all along, but just wasn't sure of what to do'. He said that he had a great-great grandma who was a witch, but her only child turned out to be a Squib.

That was all that I had found out so far, except for Brad telling me all about his dog Toby who was very friendly.

Later that night, I lay down on my bed, contemplating all of this. Maybe, Brad was just an okay guy, and Alicia would be perfectly happy with him. After these seventeen long days, I had found his record clean. I had even gone to Hogwarts to ask some of the teachers about him, and they just said that he was a good kid who wanted to be an Auror, but his grades weren't up to scratch.

Nora would be coming back the next day. I had her; I wouldn't need to worry about having Alicia in good hands anymore. I would just need to focus my time on Nora.

* * *

Indeed, Nora came back at nearly seven o'clock in the afternoon. I had been trying all day just to think about her. I would love her truly someday. I don't know… Nora doesn't seem like that kind of person that you'd grow old with. I guess I'm just afraid of getting a divorce the day I get my first gray hair. 

I greeted her at the airport, where she arrived in her personal jet. I don't know _why_, though. Apparating's much faster. She just says that she likes the luxury that she's put onboard that aircraft. I wanted to go to Japan in wizard fashion, but she insisted on traveling on a plane. And when Nora insists on something, that's the way things will happen. And to be honest, I'd never been on a plane before. Can't be too different from a broomstick, I've been telling myself.

The next day – the three weddings. My flight to Japan. There's no question on which one I'd rather be seated in. But for me, there's no choice.

* * *

The next day, I woke up early and went down to the shop. There was no one there – no surprise, it was closed down for the next few days—except for one lone figure that was looking at the Spell-Check Quills. 

"Mrs. Kelligry?" I asked in awe.

She turned around. "I'm sorry for coming when it's closed; I just wanted to come say hello. I heard from Brad that you were leaving to Japan today for awhile."

Then, she came right up to me and gave me a great bear hug.

"Thank you. You've been such a great friend to my Brad lately. If there's anything I can do for you before you go…"

I was about to say, 'No, but thanks anyway', but then a brilliant idea flashed into my head. This could be my last chance to find any dirt on Brad before his wedding! It was only in less than an hour…

"As a matter of fact, there is, Mrs. Kelligry," I said. "Please, follow me."

I had laid out all of my Brad search stuff out on my desk… along with all the other stuff that was already on it. Maybe Mrs. Kelligry would know something that I didn't…

We had made it up to my room, and I had her stop in my room while I pretended to look for something in my closet while she would automatically look around my room, as in human nature.

After about five seconds, I heard her say something.

"You know that you have clothes on your ceiling, right?" she asked with a bit of fright in her voice.

"Screw that," I said under my breath. _Look to your right._

As if she could read my thoughts, soon enough I heard a gasp and the sound of paper being fiddled with. I poked my head out of the closet.

She had picked up a piece of paper, one with a picture of a man on it.

"Wh-where did you g-get this!" she stammered.

"I dunno…" I said innocently. "Found it, I think."

Her eyes quickly darted from something on my desk to the paper in her hands.

"That's where I recognize her," she said slowly and quietly. She picked up something off of my desk. I presumed that it was what she was staring at. Then, she sounded dead. "Oh no."

Then, she promptly fell to the ground in a dead faint, head hand on her brow.

I jumped out of my closet, and dragged her onto my bed. Then, I took a moment to see what she had picked up that had now on the ground.

It was a picture of Alicia.

I gasped, making the connection in my head. I looked through all of my papers, ran through memories to make sure it was right. But I already knew it was right. I felt like I had known it all along…

"Great," I said wearily to myself. "I've got a wedding to stop."

Then, I grabbed my coat from off of the floor and ran out the door.

* * *

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Did you like it? Are you wondering what George has found out? Are you saying "By George, I think he's got it!"?

Till next chapter...

I seriously hope you review... I don't have a beta so it may have some mistakes... I could use the advice... I'm going to be an author once I finish my book...

Please?

**S**i_r _**F**u_z_**z**a_l_**o**t


	8. A Righted Wedding

Hey readers!! You can't possibly image how mush I'm excited about this update. It's a big one for me, since this is the climactical chapter. It's lovey-dovey for a bunch of characters, though one pair you wouldn't really expect. Hey, in this chapter, you'll get to see ...erm, read... how George describes Alicia's dress. That's why I've witheld what it looked like.

Hey! This update was shorter than the last! Hope you guys are happy. I try to make them shorter.

In this chapter, I credit the poem "A Red, Red Rose" To Robert Burns. He wrote it, I didn't. Though I wish I did...

Oh, and I forgot to credit the song "Why Can't You Behave" some chapters ago to the musical "Kiss Me, Kate!". I wish I wrote that, too...

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter kingdom belongs to J.K. Rowling. I take no credit for coming up with that, 'cuz I didn't. I was a wee child when the first book came out.

Now, this story, Frequent Falling, belongs to me, so please don't steal it and post it somewhere else. That would be disrespecting me, lying, stealing, and just downright rude.

Now then. Enjoy. -Sir Fuzzalot-

* * *

Frequent Falling

Chapter Eight – A Righted Wedding

Alicia's POV

Up until today, I never realized how fast everything goes by. Just yesterday, I came across a family full of boys strolling around in a miniscule town in the country. Just yesterday, I read my Hogwarts letter to baffled family. Just yesterday, I was passing notes in Flitwick's class with Angelina and Katie. Just yesterday, I shared my very first kiss with my very best friend. Just yesterday, I almost lost him to a Bludger to the torso. Just yesterday, I watched him fly away with Fred to start up their shop. Just yesterday, I saw him again for the first time in two years.

By now, he would be packing to catch a plane to Japan. Now I probably wouldn't see him again.

December 4th. That's what day it was today. The day of my wedding.

And now… I sat in Ginny's room in the Burrow, getting ready for my wedding day. It was painful to be here in his old house, on my wedding day, of all times… but Brad and I would be married only a short way's away from here, so it was only logical to get ready in the Burrow.

I was sitting down at Ginny's desk, looking into the mirror attached to it. Ginny was on her bed, unpacking my dress.

"Oh, Alicia," she breathed, a hand flying to her mouth, "It's _gorgeous_!!"

Indeed it was. I walked over to where she was sitting and picked it up.

"Do you think that Brad will like it?" I asked, looking to Ginny.

The redhead gaped at me. "Are you _kidding?_" she said. "Brad will ADORE it. Any man would."

I gave her a weak smile in return. "Come, now, help me get it on."

Ginny immediately sprang up from the bed and picked the dress up.

"Hey Alicia," she said, handing the dress to me, "Honestly, do you think that Harry will propose to me sometime?" then, her ears immediately turned red. That was kind of random.

I grinned at the Weasleys' only daughter. "He loves you, Ginny. You can see it in his eyes and by what he does. But… I think that he'll only marry you when the time is right. And for him, things are a bit too rushed, and he's only… eighteen? And you're _seventeen_, too. You're still at school. Maybe in a year or two."

"Yeah…" she said with a sigh. "McGonagall only let me come down for the weddings and reception. Sorry, it was a stupid question…" she trailed off, looking away.

I touched her shoulder lightly. "Ginny, don't be upset. It was _not _a stupid question. You're just coming into that age where you think about such things. You love Harry, and he loves you back. I just don't think that it's your time yet."

Ginny gave out a sad sniffle, and looked warmly into my eyes. "You're right." She coughed, and then continued in a much stronger voice. "And right now it's _yours_, Alicia Spinnet, so you get your butt into that dress before I send Mum in to do it for you."

I laughed. This was the Ginny Weasley I knew.

"Ginny, can you lace this death contraption up for me?" I asked with disdain.

Ginny rushed to my side to help. "You know, Alicia, I've never worn a corset before. What's it like?"

"I already… told you," I said with difficulty as she laced up the back. "It's like… death… on a stick."

Ginny surveyed me. "Well, at least it'll keep you warm."

"My… torso, at least. My legs will _freeze_."

"Nah, Mum will take care of that. She can whip up a decent Heating Charm for you... and everyone else," she added. "Stupid strings…"

I did sort of a grimace with a mix of a smile at her reference to my corset. I then looked out the window to the blanket of white that covered the ground. "Who's… idea was it… to have the weddings in December?"

"I think it was Angelina's, wasn't it?" she asked. "She's the one who's always wanted a 'wedding in white'…"

I smirked. If I had it my way, we'd be married in June when the weather was better. But, Angelina's word was always law. If I could have picked a perfect match for her, I would've picked Fred to loosen her up a bit. Good thing that was the very man she was marrying tomorrow.

I heard a knock on the door. Soon, a muffled, friendly voice followed it. "Alicia, honey, you need any help?"

Ginny turned her head away in laughter. "Mum's here to save the day. I still can't get this bloody corset right…"

Mrs. Weasley walked in, her eyes shining with tears. "Oh Alicia… you look beautiful," she said in a whisper.

Ginny looked slightly annoyed, like she'd seen her mother be like this all too many times. Then, Mrs. Weasley walked behind me.

"My goodness Ginny, what have done?!" she exclaimed in a mortified tone. At once, I felt the pressure around my torso immediately removed as Mrs. Weasley untied the laces of the corset.

"I'm sorry, Mum, I'm afraid you never taught me how to properly lace up a corset," Ginny replied sarcastically. Then, the pressure came back full force as Mrs. Weasley retied them.

"I… swear, I'm… never… wearing a… corset again!" I said painfully.

"Don't worry, dear, it'll all be over in a few hours."

I groaned, and tried to compose myself—I would need it.

* * *

Katie's POV

Two days until my wedding…

Well, I know that I should be thinking about _Alicia_ right now, and how it's _Alicia's day_, but, still… I was getting married in two days!!

I would be a wife in two days, a mother in perhaps a year…

"Katie, can you come zip me up?"

I sighed. That was Angelina. We were both putting on our bridesmaid dresses, since the wedding was due to start in about an hour.

"_Arceo,"_ I muttered, pointing my wand at Angelina. Instantly, the zipper glided all the way to the top.

Angelina turned around to face me. "You know, I was implying for you to actually come over here, but that works too."

I grinned. That was Angelina.

Then, I turned around to examine the back of my dress in the mirror. Not bad. Alicia's colors were 'cerulean and cream', so my dress was a lovely shade of a mysterious cerulean blue. The neckline and the waistline were accented with a cream colored ribbon in the shape of a V. The sleeves were ¾ length, of which Angelina and I were grateful for in this cold weather. A cape-thing was also attached, which differentiated me from the other bridesmaids.

To think... I was Maid of Honor…

Well, _one _of them, at least. Angelina and I were both the Maids of Honor, since one of us would feel left out when the other would be chosen as Maid of Honor. So, we both had a cape-thing was attached that differentiated us from the other bridesmaids. For my wedding, both Angelina and Alicia would be the Maid of Honor. I guess Alicia and Angelina would have capes, too…

We both had our own bridesmaids, though. Alicia had sisters for her wedding, Brad had two nieces, Lee had a little sister, Angelina had a sister and a sister-in-law, and I had a few cousins in town…

And then Ginny and Hermione were bridesmaids for all three of our weddings. There was quite the crowd gathered at the Burrow for these three days… it was a wonder that we all fit.

"Is it going to snow tomorrow, Katie?" Angelina suddenly asked.

"I dunno. For your sake, I hope it doesn't. Your dress is strapless, Ang."

She sighed. "I know… if it does, I hope we relocate."

I chewed on my lip. "Doesn't Arthur know one of those bubble charms?"

"The ones you put around your head?" she replied.

"Yeah… I think he might put one around the grove," I commented.

She shrugged. "I guess so. Otherwise we'll all die of hypothermia."

We both laughed. If Alicia was here, it surely would've been just like we were back at Hogwarts again, but she was across the room getting into her wedding gown.

"Hey, well it was _you_ that picked December, wasn't it?"

She grimaced. "Well, yeah… I just always wanted to be married in winter. Every woman in my family was."

I suddenly thought of a scheme in my head. "What would you say if I said that all the women in my family were married in the summer, and you were messing up my system?"

"I'd feel pretty bad, worry that there's going to be quite a few dead women after my blood, and know that eventually you'd get over it."

I rolled my eyes. "You are insufferable, Angelina Johnson."

* * *

Brad's POV

I had never felt so nervous in my life. My hands were trembling as I tried to properly tie my bowtie. Lee, seeing me mess it up for the fifth time, took control.

"You really need to learn how to tie these things, man," he said. "You're going to have a million weddings to attend."

I cocked an eyebrow. "What?"

"Your children, Fred's, mine… that's a lot of weddings, mate."

Fred laughed behind us. He was working on smoothing down his hair. "We won't have to worry about that for some time, Lee."

"I know…" he said with a sigh, pulling the finished bowtie tight. "Just thinking about the future."

I shuddered. To think… I was getting married today to the prettiest and nicest woman on Earth… and finally kiss her…

I turned and looked at myself in the mirror. I was eighteen, nineteen in the summer. Kind of young to get married, but hey, this was Europe. I had friends already getting 'comfortable' with quite a few women. My mother always taught me about abstinence… and I've always listened to my mum.

All three of us were wearing black tuxedos. Lee was absentmindedly looking at his butt in the mirror, Fred was smoothing out his hair that he'd recently trimmed, and my sweaty hands were twisting around my vows in my pockets.

I was so ready to be married, and yet so not. I could be a father in a year! That was an impossible thought. Maybe Alicia and I would wait to have children. Maybe in five years, we'd have a baby or two.

Wait! What if she didn't want children at all?! Oh gosh… what would I do? I'd always dreamt of becoming a father. What if this difference got so much into my system that I would decide to leave Alicia because I wanted kids?! Now sweat was pouring down my forehead from the anxiety.

I suddenly stopped. Who was I kidding? Of course Alicia wanted kids. She even told me so. Well, _indirectly _so. She said to me once, "I hope to someday be married and have a dozen kids. Then I'd be really happy."

Plus, I would never leave Alicia because of something like that. Oh gosh, I worry too much. I guess that's something I got from my Mum… she's always fretting over something.

Speaking of my Mum… where was she? I hadn't seen her since about 5 o'clock this morning, when she claimed that she'd forgotten her string of pearls back at the house. What was taking her so long? Maybe she lost them.

I shrugged off the thought, wiped off my sweaty hands, and took a deep breath. Then, I couldn't help but thinking again, _my goodness, I'm getting married._

* * *

Mr. Weasley's POV

The years were going by too fast. Now, my family had known Alicia Spinnet for nearly fifteen years, and now she was getting married. Fred would be married tomorrow, and George… who knows what was going on with him. Nora… she was taking away a piece of my family, and was determined to not give it back. It was like a piece of our puzzle was missing. You can't get the full picture without it. My family was not complete.

I shivered. Some water dripped onto my nose, and I brushed it off. I was in the grove, checking up on the surroundings. The tree that I was underneath was dripping snow, so I moved. I didn't see how all of the wedding party would survive this chill.

A Wedding in White… a nice thought, yet a dreadful process.

Bill, another one of my many sons, was already married. His wedding was particularly easy, for it was held in the summer. All of us were wearing short sleeves, and Molly was even fanning herself.

Ron had his only last spring. It was beautiful, with all of the flowers in full bloom on the trees. Hermione had tamed her hair down and Molly delicately placed baby roses in it. Ron's ears matched his hair, and even Hermione was turning pink from excitement. Her dress had spaghetti-straps, so she was perfectly fine. Ron did have to take off his jacket at some point, though.

I couldn't bear to think what Charlie and Ginny would do for their weddings…

I suddenly heard muffled footsteps crunching through the two-foot deep snow. I turned around only to find Lee's father, Robert Jordan, coming towards me.

"Robert," I said, sniffling, "what are you doing out in this weather?"

He laughed in a deep, rich tone. "I should ask the same for you, Arthur." Then, he walked up to me and embraced me like a brother.

"I'm just checking up on the grove. Everyone's going to freeze."

"Well, we don't want that," Robert joked. "I came out here to see if you wanted my help on a charm or something."

I chewed my lip for a moment. "Yeah, I think we're going to have to do that. We can't melt the snow, Angelina would be furious… Molly suggested a bubble around here."

"Sounds like a good idea. Here, we'll stand in the middle."

We both stood in the middle of the grove, me pointing my wand at my head, and Mr. Jordan holding his wand ready once I made my move.

"_Securitas Capito_," I said, and at once, a cellophane-looking substance slowly grew out of my wand, forming a bubble around my head.

"_Engorgio!_" Robert bellowed, pointing his wand at my head.

Suddenly, the bubble grew big. In seconds, it fit both Robert and me. I lowered my wand, but Robert kept his raised to direct the bubble's growth. It kept expanding until it fit in the tree, too. Once it was a bit bigger than that, Robert lowered his wand, causing the bubble to stop.

I looked around at it, and let out a low whistle. "That's pretty nice."

Robert Jordan heaved out a sigh, and wiped his forehead. "It's a pleasure to work with you, Arthur. Do it any day."

Then, I walked a bit southward, were I could see a thin trail of smoke. "We'd best get back to the Burrow. Molly will probably have work for us." With that, I stretched out my hand to Robert, who was a bit downhill.

Robert smiled, and grasped my outstretched hand. Together, we walked back to the warmth and bustle of the Burrow.

* * *

Mrs. Weasley's POV

So much to do!!

The grove wasn't decorated yet, Arthur was still in his lounging clothes, Harry's hair wouldn't lie flat (A/N: So typical…), One of the violinists had lost his instrument, we had run out of rooms to change in, etc., etc…

How was I supposed to manage these tiresome three days?

I frowned, and looked at myself in the mirror. Worn brown eyes, curled red hair, smudged makeup, age lines…

I was getting so _old_! I had a grandchild and another on the way. Two of my sons were getting married. One more would probably soon be engaged!

My life was passing by so quickly. What could I do about it?

Suddenly, I felt warmth wrap around me, and a kiss on my cheek. "Relax, Molly dear, everything's going fine."

I groaned. "_Far_ from it, Arthur. The whole place is in an uproar!!"

Arthur laughed merrily. "If you'd look around you, dear, you'd see that you're the only one fretting. And I love you for it."

Then he kissed me fully, and all of my worries were forgotten.

We both looked into the mirror. I could see me, the same me I saw before, but now… I had Arthur. He loved me. He would always be here with me… and I loved him. By myself, I looked like a memory, fading away. Together, we were timeless.

I snuggled into him deeper, and inhaled his rich scent. Then, he began to hum an old tune, one that I loved very much. I closed my eyes, and reminisced on the times we shared together.

I met Arthur when I was eleven. We were both in Gryffindor, so young, and so inexperienced. Everyone always thought we'd end up together, for we both had red hair. It was a poor reason, but that's what sparked my interest in him.

In our fifth year, he finally confessed that he'd liked me ever since we met. So I kissed him. Ah, to be young again…

We took many a midnight stroll around the castle, and were caught more than once. But we were in love, and nothing else mattered.

After we graduated, Arthur landed a job in the Ministry, and we were married. I had my first baby, William, whom we both just called Bill. Then Charlie, Percy, the twins, Ron, and Ginny followed. Soon after, midlife struck, and now…

I still had my eyes closed, and Arthur was still humming, swaying back and forth with his arms around me. Oh, these moments felt so good. I couldn't have asked for a better man to be my husband.

"Do you remember our wedding?" I asked.

He stopped. "Oh yes. That's a day I'll never forget."

"I walked down the aisle with my father, and you were there, waiting for me."

He chuckled. "That's how it happens with every wedding, my dear."

I smiled too, and looked up at his loving eyes. "I know. It was just seeing you there that I loved so much."

He caressed my face ever so lightly. "Do you still love me, Molly Weasley?" he whispered.

My eyes glistened. "Oh yes. So very much, Arthur."

Our eyes were in a lock of affection. Our hearts bonded together once more, and I knew that I would rather die than stop loving this man. He kissed me once more, and I felt young again.

* * *

Alicia's POV

I was fiddling around with my engagement ring, twirling the diamond around my ring finger. _Is Brad as nervous as I am_?,I thought.

Ginny left to go put on her bridesmaids' dress. I was left alone in Ginny's room, just looking through the window towards the horizon. Snow was falling, and the trees were turning white from this massive buildup. I could faintly see the predetermined grove, since the bubble to keep off the snow and some of the cold was shimmering in the clouded sunlight.

It was like any typical winter's day in England… over a foot of snow was on the ground, and more was coming. I could see Mr. Bell clearing a path for the wedding party to walk to the grove without getting a hem eighteen inches deep in cold water.

I heard a knock on my door. "Come in," I called.

The door opened, and in walked my two sisters and my mum. Alana and Annabel sat down on the bed, and mum walked over to me and gave me a hug.

"It's so good to have you here, you three," I said after she pulled away. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"You think we'd miss our Alicia's big day?" my mum questioned. "Well, I did have to cancel a cooking convention and Alana had to postpone her trip to Finland, but…"

"Oh, shut up, mum," Annabel said. "Alicia doesn't need any grief today. If anyone gave _me _grief on my wedding day, I would've probably broken down and run away."

Annabel's wedding was just after I graduated. Oddly, she married Katie's older brother, Greg Bell. We loved to tease her about her new name, Annabel Bell. If we had teased her about that _on_ the wedding day, she probably would've left the wedding.

"Where's Cassie?" I asked her, suddenly remembering her little girl.

"She's downstairs playing with Bill's little girl. Greg is watching over the both of them," she replied. Then, she stood up and walked over to where I stood.

I looked at her strangely. "What?" I asked.

She smiled at me. "I can see you with a dozen children, Alicia. That would make you happy."

"Really, now? I only wanted _half_ a dozen."

She playfully shoved me. "You'll love the married life, Leesh. It's such a comfort to run your own home and have someone who'll take orders from you and keep you warm at night."

Mum shot her a skeptical glance. "And that's _all_, Anna?"

"Mum, you're _old_. Being a newlywed back in the old days was different."

All Mum could do was laugh to herself. In some ways, Annabel was still a bit of a dumb blonde. Right now, her blonde hair was in a curled upsweep, pinned into an elegant bun. That was the bridesmaids' hair for my wedding. Alana, Hermione, Ginny, Angelina, and Katie's were exactly the same.

As were their dresses. The same floor-length, cerulean blue dresses that I had picked out were on my sisters. Well, except their dresses had no 'cape' like Katie and Angelina's did. That was because they were not the Maids of Honor, although my mother did sort of give me an evil glare when she found out that they weren't going to be.

"Oh," I breathed, catching sight of figures heading outside. "It's nearly time."

"Yes, and I'd better be going. You three," she said, indicating my sisters and me, "will stay here, for the bridesmaids will walk in front the bride. The other girls are in Ron's room, Alicia."

I then felt nervous, and a lump formed in my throat. My mum called me the bride. My bottom lip trembled, and I threw my arms around her.

"You'll be fine, dear. This is hard, but soon, it'll begin the happiest chapter of your life. It sure did for me," mum said soothingly.

"We all love you, Alicia," Alana added, rubbing my back.

I let out a loud sniff, and pulled back. Mum looked at me like a jeweler to a precious gem, and wiped a tear off my cheek.

"Dry your eyes, Licia. You are better off without the tears," she said. She kissed me on the cheek, and added, "I'll see you in the grove, girls."

Then, she turned around and left the room, closing the door with a soft _clink_.

A minute later, I could see her making her way to the distant grove. Five minutes… that's when we would go down. Thirty minutes… and I would become a married woman. Twelve hours… and I would share a bed. Three days… I would see Brazil. Three weeks… and I would run my own home. A year… I would be a mother.

But, was I ready?

* * *

George's POV

I swear, I must have checked every church in Britain for anyone under the name of Weasley, Spinnet, Bell, Johnson, Jordan, or Kelligry. Nothing. Where could they be?

What if they weren't married in a church? Then they could be _anywhere_! Well, anywhere in England, that is. It'd be too expensive to go outside the country. I didn't have much time left… I left Mrs. Kelligry in the flat about thirty minutes ago, so that meant I had… less than a half hour left! There wasn't enough time… if only one of the Time Turners could've been salvaged from the fight at the Ministry two and a half years ago... then this would be easier.

I was running out of options. Right now, I was in the heart of London, looking through all of the churches. I had been through some particularly rough spots in the past half hour. Twice had I been kicked out of a chapel because I had interrupted a wedding already going on, five times I came in on a sermon and left, once had I been invited to join the chapel's faith, and another, I had even been excommunicated from the Catholic Church from coming in on an apparently _sacred_ study session. Good thing I wasn't Catholic in the first place.

I looked totally inappropriate for a wedding. I was still in my Quidditch pajamas, with just a coat over them for warmth. Thank goodness I remembered the coat, for if I didn't, all of Muggle London would be able to see the moving design of broomsticks and Bludgers. My feet were bare, except for a pair of white socks. Now, my feet were paying for it. My socks were soaked through and muddy from the snow, and my feet were frozen stiff. I could even feel my left foot developing a blister. If this wasn't for Alicia…

Then I probably wouldn't be doing it. I loved her before, and I would've died to save her from something like this. I still loved her! I couldn't admit it to her face, but I could yell it to anyone else, any time.

I would hate to think what torment she would go through once she found out, but would have to be done. I don't know what she'd do after, whether she'd kill me or kill herself. Really, I didn't care about that right now. All that mattered was getting to the wedding on time.

But, I couldn't find it. I sunk to the damp, filthy London ground in defeat. I curled up, with my arms pressing my legs into my chest. There was nothing I could do.

I sat there for a short while, until I saw someone walk up and lean against the wall on the opposite side of the narrow alley. I looked up to see the person more fully.

He was a ragged man, with a graying beard reaching halfway down his chest. On his head he wore a patched cap with flaps covering his ears. To wear, he had a plaid button-up shirt, and a jacket that looked like it had been thrown out in the trash many years ago. His dirt-encrusted jeans reached only to his knees, and so I could see the aged scars of being homeless. His feet were covered by a ragged pair of old golfing cleats, with the rubber traction on the underside long since worn away.

He could tell that I was looking at him. He started to come at me, and I was sorely afraid. Crime was pretty bad in these parts of town… and I was about to become a victim of it, I was sure.

A smug expression was on his lips, as though he were dying to say something witty, and then rob me of whatever I had. I could've stopped him; I had my wand in my pocket.

Yet… I didn't cast a single spell. My right hand just firmly gripped the familiar stick of wood in my pocket.

He stopped in front of me. My neck craned upwards to see him, while raising my left hand to block out the sun.

"What do you want?" I asked bravely. "I have nothing on me."

He just laughed, clutching his chest. Soon, the laughter turned into deep, rasping coughs. "You got more than I do, kid."

I just stared at this old man. What did he want with me?

He extended his hand. "You get up now."

I cautiously accepted. As he pulled me upwards, a shiver went down my spine. His hand was so cold! Colder than ice, it felt.

As soon as I was up, I brushed off the snow on my coat. "And what do I have that's so great?" I asked him skeptically.

He looked me straight in the eyes. Then, I first noticed how sad he looked. His eyes were a light blue-gray, like the sky in winter. He must've had the saddest eyes I'd ever seen. His face looked so aged, like a crude carving from wood. I looked at his eyes again, and saw that he was starting to cry.

Shaking, he said, "You don't look older than twenty. You probably still have a family, some people that love you."

I just stared at him sadly, letting him continue.

Then, he gripped my shoulder tightly. "I have nothing. You go where you're loved. You gonna find no love here on the streets. You go home, lad."

Although he had no idea what my problems were, his point hit home. He was right. I nodded, and ran out of his sight to find a safe place—to Apparate.

* * *

Alicia's POV

"Alicia."

I heard my name being called, but I pretended not to hear it.

"_Alicia_."

This time, I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Yes, Dad?"

"It's time, dear."

My mind sighed. Just a bit longer of staying here…

"I know you're nervous, but we need to be going."

Just a bit longer of being single…

"We don't want to keep everyone waiting, do we?"

No. I didn't. I just… wasn't ready yet.

"All the girls are ready at the door."

This time, I sighed out loud. "All right, let's go."

I took one last view out the window I'd been staring through. It was a beautiful day, and the grove out in the distance was filled with excited people.

I followed my dad down the stairs to where my bridesmaids were. As soon as they all saw me, they squealed with delight.

"I can't believe it's really happening, Leesh," said Angelina, throwing her arms around me.

"Yeah. And then this'll all happen again tomorrow, and then for my wedding…" added Katie, staring off into space at the mention of her own wedding.

"Aw, Katie, this is Alicia's time. Don't burden her with thoughts of the next days," commented Hermione.

"It's quite all right, Hermione. I'm used to her being like this," I replied.

"Ladies," said my father, opening the door (and making us all gasp from the temperature change), "They are waiting for us."

"Oh, right," I said. All of the girls went out the door, with Hermione and Ginny side by side first, then Brad's two nieces Joanna and Bethany, my sisters Alana and Annabel, and finally my two Maids of Honor, Katie and Angelina. After they went out, my father and I went arm in arm after them.

The walk to the grove was long and freezing. Luckily, Mrs. Weasley had put in a Heating Charm around my legs to keep me warm, so I was only partly freezing—not that it made any difference to me. I was too much caught up in my thoughts.

"Dad," I whispered, "Do you like him?"

"If you mean Brad, well of course I like him. I wouldn't let you marry him if I didn't think so."

I blushed. "Oh. Of course. I'm sorry, it was a stupid question."

"Everyone is bound to ask a stupid question when they're nervous, Alicia. Whether it's about if your soon-to-be-husband is a nice guy, or if the casserole you're worried about baking has a bomb embedded in it, or if you're in a singing competition, and you're afraid that you're going to fall off the stage or get low marks because the judges don't like your outfit…"

"I get it, Dad. I am nervous. I just won't say anymore."

He quietly laughed. "You don't like this quality time with your dear old dad? I _am_ the last person in the family you'll talk to before you get married. Right now, we're talking, and then you'll say your vows to Brad, and say I do to the marriage-sealing-person."

"The 'marriage-sealing-person', Dad?" I mocked.

"Well, I don't know what he's called. That's not really important. What's important is Brad."

All I could do was nod and gulp. The grove was right ahead, and I could see everyone turning in their seats to get a good look at me.

I hung on tighter to my father's arm, and he gave me a squeeze as we passed into the bubble of warmth.

The bridesmaids split off from their pairs and sat down. As my father and I reached the front of the aisle, he gently let go of my arm, and I hugged him in return. I heard a few people sigh.

Then, I stepped up to where Brad was. His eyes were shining, and he looked so handsome in his black tuxedo.

"Now," said an unfamiliar man standing just behind Brad and me, "let us begin."

* * *

George's POV

I lowered my wand. I had just Disapparated from the middle of London, and was grateful to be back inside my parent's house. The Burrow was empty, even though there were steaming plates of food all ready to be eaten in the kitchen.

The first thing that I did was to take off my socks, soaked all the way through. After dumping them on the floor and warming my toes up by the fire, I went upstairs to see if I could find anyone.

The room I used to share with Fred was first, right next to Mum and Dad's room. I quickly changed my clothes, which was very comforting. After looking around the room, I went next door. First, I knocked. Dad had always told me to knock first, because once I just barged into their room to find him changing.

There was no one. I even checked the linen closet—but no one was hiding. The second floor was clear. I hurried up the steps to the third landing that held Percy and Charlie's rooms. Both doors were open, but all that was in them were scattered ribbons, dress cases, and some girls' clothing. Fourth floor—Bill and Ginny's rooms. Bill's room was first, so I knocked on the closed door, but got no answer. I opened it to only find Bill's stuff, mirrors, and some other bags. Ginny's room was open. In it were only one very large three-fold mirror and some bags labeled 'BRIDE'. This must've been where Alicia changed.

What—Alicia changed here? That meant that the wedding wasn't too far away! I looked around feverishly for any traces of where it might be, but I found none. I slumped down on Ginny's bed, which was a much better place to wallow in disappointment than in a shady London alley.

In her room, it was practically like summer, with the shades of yellow everywhere. The only thing that hinted that it was winter and nearly Christmastime was the window, iced with frost and snow. I got up from the bed, and took a good look out of it.

The hills surrounding the Burrow were beautiful. Our makeshift Quidditch Pitch could be seen crowning one of the highest hills, but still low enough that no Muggle could see it from any distance. Well, not like they could—no Muggles were around for miles.

As I viewed the scenery, I only found one thing remotely odd: a shiny thing, with… people inside?!

I gasped. That was where the wedding was at. It had already started, but I had no idea when. It could be nearly over by now! I might've been too late, and I was so close.

I would still give it a try. I scrambled down the stairs, and shoved my feet into my old pair of boots by the door. I ran out of the house in the direction of the party, and didn't bother to close the door after myself.

I had to stop that wedding.

* * *

Brad's POV

I couldn't be happier. Alicia Marie Spinnet, the love of my life, was standing in front of me, her caramel eyes locked in a gaze with mine.

The man that was sealing us together was reading dully out of a book, and I wasn't paying any attention to him. I would catch a few words, like 'holy', 'wife', or 'covenant' …

Alicia was smiling. I loved it when she smiled. I just wanted to take one step further and pull her into a deep hug followed by a passionate kiss, but I couldn't. It would be inappropriate during the middle of the ceremony. My time would come… I would get to kiss her today.

We had a good-sized turnout. Fifteen people from Alicia's family were here, about twenty from mine… there was the Weasley family, the Jordan family, the Johnson family, the Bell Family, and then some other friends we had. There would've been more, but they couldn't make it. Both mine and Alicia's grandparents had died some time ago (well, we both had another set left, all four present), and I had some cousins school friends that had refused to come, since they had already made important plans of their own.

I sighed, imagining the future ahead for Alicia and me. Our honeymoon to Brazil with the soon-to-be Weasleys and Jordans was coming up, and I could truly bond with Alicia without anyone else's disturbances, and Alicia and I could start up a family sometime. I could imagine being sixty years old with grandchildren piling up on my lap. That would make me truly happy. I would love my wife endlessly, and we'd be together till the days of our deaths. We'd be buried together, I had it all planned out. If one of us was to die early, then the other wouldn't remarry because she… or me… loved their late spouse still and carry the last name of Kelligry to the grave.

Maybe I was taking this too far. I could—

"Bradley? Your vows?"

Oh. The Sealing Guy was calling me… now that was embarrassing. I should learn to pay attention more often. My vows were in my pocket, but I think I could remember them…

I looked into my beloved's eyes and said, "Alicia Marie Spinnet, it's an honor to be standing next to you in the presence of loved ones today. For my vow to you today, I found a lovely little poem by Robert Burns."

I cleared my throat, and said, "O my love's like a red, red rose.

That's newly sprung in June;

O my love's like a melody

That's sweetly play'd in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,

So deep in love am I;

And I will love thee still, my Dear,

Till a'the seas gang dry.

Till a' the seas gang dry, my Dear,

And the rocks melt with the sun:

I will love thee still, my Dear,

While the sands o'life shall run.

And fare thee well my only Love!

And fare thee well a while!

And I will come again, my Love,

Tho' it were ten thousand miles!"

Then, I took her hands into my own. "Alicia, I have loved you ever since I first laid my eyes upon you so many months ago. I am elated that you have chosen to spend your days with me, and I can only hope that I can be able to be worthy of you, for I believe that do man should, for they are all imperfect next to you. I am imperfect next to you, and yet you love me anyway. I will love you always, Alicia, and will never cease from it."

After I finished, sniffles were heard all around the crowd, and I saw a flash of a handkerchief or two.

Then, the man, smiling, turned his head to my bride. "Alicia?"

She grinned back at him, and turned to me. "Bradley Kelligry, I have waited for this moment for a very long time. For most young girls, the dream is to fall in love with a man, marry him with all of her loved ones present, and have many children with him. So far, you have given me two of those. I have fallen for you, and now we are getting married. It's more than I could ever hope for, and I'm so glad it's you."

We gazed at each other tenderly, and waited for what would happen next. But, although I was eager to be married, I would've given anything in the world to make this moment last longer.

* * *

George's POV

Once again, I was out in the bitter cold. My boots were too small and rubbing painfully against my sore feet, but nothing could slow me down now. My muscles were screaming from overexertion, and I just thought, _I'm almost there._

Snow was falling again, and I could see it collecting on top of the bubble and piling up around it. I was now right up against the bubble, but somehow, I didn't go in. I just stood mesmerized in longing as I looked at Alicia and Brad up there at the front.

Brad looked breathlessly happy, just like any teenage boy getting married to an older, attractive woman. I some ways, I didn't think he was mature enough for her.

Then I saw Alicia. Her dress was… bewitching. One look at her, and my breath was stolen away. Her dress was pure white, flowing all the way down to the snowy ground. The sleeves were tight all the way down to the elbow, where they went loose, but cut off short. The neckline was an elegant V-shape made out of some pretty white ribbon. The ribbon was also sewn in a V-shape along the waist. There were crease lines sewn in from the waist on down, but disappearing before they reached the hem. The dress was simple, but so beautiful. To top it all off, embedded in her elegant up-do were little sprigs of cherry blossoms. They were complimentary to the cherry blossoms, baby's breath, and the cyan hue of the wild cornflower.

Oh, how I wish she could've been my bride!

I was behind a bush, so no one could see me. I leaned in closer, so I could hear what was going on.

"…and Ms. Spinnet, we will now proceed with the final step of this ceremony."

_Thank goodness,_ I thought. The ceremony wasn't over just yet. There was still enough time.

"Mr. Kelligry, please take Ms. Spinnet's hand. Now then, Mr. Bradley Kelligry, will you have Ms. Alicia Marie Spinnet to be your wife, to live together as friend and mate? Will you love her as a person, respect her as an equal, sharing joy as well as sorrow, triumph as well as defeat, and keep her beside you till death do you part?"

Great. The ceremony was nearly over. Where would I come in?

"I do."

"Now, Ms. Spinnet, please take Mr. Kelligry's other hand. Ms. Alicia Marie Spinnet, will you have Mr. Bradley Kelligry to be your husband, to live together as friend and mate? Will you love him as a person, respect him as an equal, sharing joy as well as sorrow, triumph as well as defeat, and keep her beside you till death do you part?"

I took a sharp intake of breath and closed my eyes.

"I do."

"Now, is there anyone here who opposes to this marriage, so speak now or forever hold your peace?"

Now it was time. It make have been incredibly cheesy like some kind of storybook fairytale, but it was time. I couldn't wait any longer, or else they would be married, and I would never forgive myself. If I wasn't saving Alicia from a bad marriage, I was doing it because I loved her. I still do.

Pushing myself in one quick motion off the ground, and I burst through the bubble, yelling, "I object!!!"

Everyone turned to me and gasped.

"_George!_" My mother yelled, giving me an extremely dark look. "You're supposed to be on a plane to Japan with Nora!"

"I know," I said solemnly. "But I had to do this."

Then, I turned to the couple at the front. Brad looked like he could've killed me, and Alicia just looked thunderstruck.

"Alicia," I said woefully, "I'm sorry to have to do this to you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I just found out this morning."

"For heaven's sake, George, just spit it out!" someone called out.

I sighed again. "Alicia, Brad Kelligry is your second cousin. You can't marry him."

Alicia gasped, and looked between me and Brad. Then, she broke out into heart-wrenching sobs, collapsing onto the wintry ground.

* * *

...

-----

That was unexpected (well, except in my case) I was gying when you asked all of those questions about Brad's relation to Alicia. You'll find out just how he's a second cousin in the next chapter.

So, how'd you like it??? That was probably what everyone was hoping for. I was glad to give it to you.

I'm hoping that you'll review. You have no idea how much these reviews mean to me, every single one of them.

Now, we go into the Falling Action sequence of the dramatic structure...

Thanks to all, thanks for reading this so far.

Sir Fuzzalot


	9. Ways and Means

FINALLY!

Sorry it's taken so long. I'm just reeeeeaaaaally busy, I'm not kidding. All of my weekends are usurped by tournaments, I have school, rehearsals after school, plays, and church stuffs. I try to write as often as possible. It's just hard.

I think you'll really like this chapter, especially the part right next to the end. That was really fun to write, and I was doing all the motions myself when I was writing it.

Disclaimer: Harry Pooter oops Potter is not my creation. None of these characters are mine... except Brad and a few others. But no one likes him, so I guess what I have is stupid. But I did come up with the plot!

Hope you enjoy! I sure did/do! No promises on when the next chapter comes out!

Sir Fuzzalot.

* * *

Chapter Nine – Ways and Means

Alicia's POV

What was going on?!

At first I couldn't be happier, standing next to my future husband in the grove a little ways away from the Weasley house.

Then, what seemed like how Solzhenitsyn says in his book, The Gulag Archipelago, came to pass. "That's what it is: a blinding flash which shifts the present into the past, and the impossible into the omnipotent reality."… I collapsed, finding myself in this omnipotent reality.

I now was trying to avoid everyone as much as possible. I knew that I'd need to talk with Brad soon about this… issue… but I didn't want to. I would rather kiss Snape than talk to him about this.

It was kind of impossible to avoid people at this point. Everyone swarmed me like typical frantic women… or more like flies around overripe fruit. Everyone was trying to fan me, or offer me a cup of tea… I just wanted the privacy of an empty room, and the comfort of a soft pillow.

I didn't see George after the fiasco. It was like he vanished for good. He's like smoke, that man… just slips through your hands. Fred was fruitlessly looking everywhere for him. Well, _everyone_ was. Everybody wanted to know just how Brad was my second cousin, and how George found out in the first place.

I wanted to know, too. (A/N: Here. This is for some who are confused about the not marrying 2nd cousins. This is the explanation.) Truthfully, since Brad's my second cousin, I can still marry him here in England. It's not against the law. Royalty marries their relatives all the time! But… George knows me. He knows I could never do this. I would never marry Brad, because he's related to me. Some people can handle it, some people just can't. I just _can't_. Maybe Brad can, but he can go marry some other second cousin, because I won't marry him.

And I never will.

* * *

Brad's POV

The wedding was going perfectly fine. Everyone was happy; nothing had gone wrong… until _he_ showed up.

He made my life a living nightmare. This was just the thing I didn't want… I wanted Alicia, all right, but now someone says I can't have her. Who does that jerk think he _is_?!

To be honest, I'd never been mad like this before. I was always the good boy at school, the teachers' favorite. Heck, I was even in Hufflepuff. Sure I've gotten into a couple 'disagreements' in my schoolboy days, but nothing like this.

I wanted to kill George Weasley.

I couldn't sit down. I wouldn't let anyone come near me. That… was probably for their own protection. My fists balled up in rage, and I yelled at the top of my lungs everything I wanted to say:

"I HATE YOU, GEORGE WEASLEY! YOU CAN JUST SINK RIGHT DOWN TO HECK, FOR ALL I CARE!! I LOVE ALICIA, AND THERE'S _NOTHING_ YOU CAN DO TO BRING US APART!! I WILL KILL YOU MYSELF IF I HAVE TO!! I _HATE_ YOU!! I _hate _you! I-I _hate_…"

I never finished. I collapsed onto the couch in tears, and curled up into a ball.

_No, no… this can't be happening,_ I thought. _This can't be happening to me._

* * *

George's POV

The goal now would be to get as far away from that mess as possible. After I revealed that nasty bit of information, I stayed for about five minutes to help get an unconscious Alicia to the Burrow, and then Disapparated.

Now, I was in France. Calais, France, to be exact. I Apparated to Dover, and took the ferry across. It was no vast distance too far, but it wasn't remotely close, either. At least I didn't go to America, or maybe India…

I booked a hotel room with a good view of the English Channel. For some reason, seeing all that water reminds me of peace. Well, I'm sure it does for _plenty_ of people, but, hey, it's special to me. If I could have anything right now, I'd take peace. The kind of peace where I'm sitting on a couch by a lit fireplace, with a mug of butterbeer and Alicia snuggled up to me, sleeping. The peace where you know that you have someone to love to the day that you die, perhaps even longer. The peace where… nothing goes wrong, nor will it ever go wrong.

I want it where Alicia and I would've gotten married after Hogwarts, and have a kid by now, and probably another on the way. Where I would've never met Nora and Alicia would've never come across Brad. I want it where I would be back to my old self again. I want to be the funny one again, the one who's always goofing off.

What happened?

I feel like a different person. I just don't belong. And if want my life back, I would have to turn all of this mess around… and fit in.

* * *

Fred's POV

From the moment I turned around and saw George standing there at the end of the wedding aisle, I was thunderstruck. He had come back! He had come back to fight for what he wanted.

And then… he ran away.

Whenever he leaves to somewhere I don't know… I dunno, I feel like part of me is missing. It's no longer 'Fred and George', just 'Fred'. I know, this is all psychological, being a twin and all, but… yeah. It's way deeper than that simple deduction.

And to think, I would still be getting married tomorrow?!

I don't know if Mum could take all the emotion. With the catastrophic wedding today, with the flight of George… and two weddings over the next two days?! We can at least be glad that Nora is out of the picture. No woman in her right mind would come after someone who'd skipped out on his wedding just to save another because he's in love with the bride. Heck, no woman in her right mind would even marry_ George._

Ha ha, what a chump. When I think I have it bad, I just sit back and think of him, and I feel better right away, know how bad _he_ has it. Poor fellow…

If only I could find him… and make all of this better.

And Alicia! This has been just as bad for her, possibly even worse. You think you love someone, and then something comes up. Maybe I should go talk to her. I'm not exactly the world's greatest sympathizer, but at least I could try to help.

You never know when you can make a reversal of fortune in someone's life.

* * *

Alicia's POV

Crying into my pillow, I felt nothing around me. No one to hold, no place to truly call home. I felt like… I would die here; die in my misery and confusion. Of course, that's stupid. I will not die, I won't even come close. Only the saddest of love stories involve the brave lover dying for his lady, and then the lady so beset with woe that she dies shortly thereafter, joining him in the heavens above. Ah, Angelina and Katie know I'm a sucker for those stories… they make me wish I could have my own.

Well, my own turned out very different. Neither of us have died, heck, we're not even together. I _should_say that this story has not ended—it's just beginning.

Aw, who am I kidding? Me, end up with George? As if this story wasn't enough of a soap opera. Sure, I have not the faintest idea what fate has in store for either of us, but surely it won't bring us together?!

Suddenly, the door to my room opened. I saw a shock of bright orange hair, and for the slightest moment, my heart leaped from its gloomy hideaway and I wanted to scream out 'George!', but once I saw the face, I knew that it was not George.

"Fred, what do you want?!" I asked (a bit harshly!), while drying my eyes.

He faked a smile, and scratched behind his ear nervously. "I came to talk."

I almost snorted. Frederick Weasley, willing to talk to an emotionally broken down female? Impossible.

"I came to talk about George."

My eyes widened in shock. What, at this time? Fred was not one for talking about emotions, or talking about George in this context. And for me, now was not the best time to talk about him. Frankly, it wasn't the best time to talk to me at all.

Sensing my discomfort, he gave me a wan smile. "I'm sorry, Alicia, but I just feel that you need this kind of talk… especially from me. I'm his twin; I know him best. I may even be able to find him."

I relaxed a bit, now interested in what Fred had to say. "Go on. I'm listening," I replied in a voice lacking confidence.

For a moment he looked down at his hands, and then sat down by me. "George isn't like most other boys. Or men, whichever you view him to be," he added with a slight nod.

"He laughs, he jokes around, he gains the approval of everyone, but he keeps everything inside himself. He's two people, infused in one Weasley. No one ever sees his emotional side, the side that truly cares. No one's seen it until, well, nearly half a year ago.

"Ever since a certain someone moved in for good on the one thing he wanted, his barriers have been falling. Falling all too often, in fact. First to go was his humor, second his interests, third his friends, fourth his judgment, and finally he almost lost his mind."

"What do you mean? Sure, I saw him when he was bad, but _never_ at the brink of _insanity_! That's impossible. That… that just can't be true. Not the George Weasley I know," I added disbelievingly.

Fred said nothing, just kept staring at his hands, shaking his head slowly. "You hadn't seen the worst of it. I don't think anybody did, not even me. He betrayed himself by nearly marrying the type of person he loathed, and he betrayed himself by removing his feelings for everything he truly cared for."

Then, he looked up at me with the saddest yet brotherly-affectionate gaze. It seemed to pierce my soul, and made me realize that Fred was one of those guys that was like the 'mean' older brother that you never had. That was a new side of him that I had never seen. He smiled a bit, though it seemed like it was hard for him to do.

"You don't know, do you?" he asked in barely a whisper.

I tilted my head to the side. "Do I know what?"

Again he paused to look down at his twisting hands. Then, he looked back up at me with that same affection and bright eyes.

"He loves you, Alicia. He's loved you all along. From the moment he met you, through all of the teasing, the heartache, the laughter, and the pain. And in the separation, too. When you talked about other boys, it just about tore his heart out every time. He was miserable after Hogwarts, when you went away for those long two years. He never went out with another girl; nor did he want to. He only just let down his barriers a few months before you returned and went out with Nora... not exactly the wisest choice if you ask me, but still, he was beginning to recover.

And then when you came back… a piece him that was missing was suddenly found. You complete him, Leesh. For awhile, everything was going okay, and then _Brad_ moved into our lives… especially yours," Fred said, with a touch of bitterness on Brad's name.

"It was like heartache all over for him. Seclusion, secrets, and silence were all he was. Just when he finally thought he was going to get you back… you slipped away. He's always been there for you, even through the bad times. And, in return, you've always been willing to help him out… unasked. I recall this one time when you came up to our flat when he was feeling down," he said with a smile.

I smiled back, remembering that. George called in a sick day from work, and I had gone up to his flat to see how he was. I had cheered him up considerably, and then Fred came in, and just blew up at George about his depression. George had stormed out; I did as well soon after, just taking a moment to blow up at Fred myself. I couldn't help but wonder after that… what _was_ going on with George?

Then, Fred started up again. "What I said… I just had to say. I was tired of it all; George had his chance twenty times over. But I was so wrong, it's wasn't that simple. It has never been that simple for him. I gave up too easily on him, I was fed up with holding on to something I viewed to be pathetic.

"George… I bet that right now he'd like nothing more that to just have you with him. You mates seem like… close enough to _be_, but on the other sides of the world. This will all fade away eventually, and it will just be a painful memory. But…" he trailed off, now looking me directly in the face, "There _is_ a way to make this hurt pass faster. Find him, Alicia. I know that_you_ can help him, when I can't. Find him, and help him remember. That may be all he needs. He needs companionship, like that day when you made him instantly better. It _will_work!"

I was lost in thought. Find George? Such a task seemed impossible. He could be anywhere! But, still, Fred was right. I did have that kind of power. George had been my best guy friend throughout Hogwarts.

But could I do it alone? Certainly not. I may have the power to save George, but I'm not a superhero. If I was… every superhero needs a sidekick.

"Hey Fred?" I asked, trying to hide my mischievous nature.

"Yeah?" he asked, now perfectly composed again. Well, about as composed as one can be in extenuating circumstances.

"I was just thinking… he's your brother. He's bound to want to see you…"

"No, Alicia, it has to be you who finds him. No one else will work," he said, waving my comment aside.

"No, no, I wasn't saying that. I was thinking it would be excellent if you were to come along _with_ me. I can't do this on my own, Fred, you know that," I said, now clasping my hands together. "Please? For Angelina too? She would be so proud…"

Fred hesitated, then bit his lip. For awhile he stroked his beardless chin. "Alright. I'll come along. But just promise me we'll be back here for my wedding tomorrow if we can't find him by then?"

"I promise. I would never let you miss your own wedding… Angelina would flip," I added jokingly.

Fred smiled. "Then we'd better get going. It's what, one o'clock? That gives us about… 20 hours until the wedding? Merlin, I have to sleep some point in there, too…"

"I'm going to change, okay Fred? I don't want to dirty up my dress," I said, commenting on my wedding dress. My mother would have an aneurism if she found out that I'd been scouring the world for George Weasley in my gown.

"Yeah, okay," he replied. "I should probably change out of my tux, too…"

Fred left the room quickly, leaving me alone. _Wow…_ I thought. _What a turn of events. I never would have believed this would have to happen._

My head hurt. All of this was too much. Too much drama, too much heartache. All I wanted was this one chance to mend.

I walked over to the window. Upon opening it, a fresh surge of England Winter came at me, and I shivered. I leaned out, my arms resting on the sill.

I'd never been much of a religious person, but I just had to say a prayer for what I was about to do. I could always use some kind of help. I took a deep breath, and then looked willingly up towards the gray-skied heavens

"God… if you're up there…" I began, thinking to myself how stupid I must sound. "I know I don't usually pray. I don't even go to church, really. I don't ask for much, God. If you could just do _one_ thing for me, just this one, I promise I'll be better. God… please help George. Please help me find him before it's too late. Please, God, let him be safe. Please…"

I paused, finding a tear running down my flushed cheeks. A hand slowly reached up to my face, feeling the warm moisture against the cold skin. I sniffed, realizing how much I missed George. How much… I was sorry for casting him aside, not being there for him, not being considerate of his feelings. _Please forgive me_, I thought, as though telepathically talking to George himself. My thoughts then turned back to my prayer that I was not finished yet.

"God…" I continued, "Please let it not be too late. There's still so much just waiting to happen, and I don't want that chance to pass by. Please help me find him in time. And God… please help George mend. He has been thought a lot, probably even too much. I've been wrong in my actions toward him, and I want to make it better. I want to see him smile once more for me. I don't want to lose him. I don't know what I'd do, I don't know how _I'd_ever recover. So, please, I ask for just this. Help this man, and help this girl find him. I just want to see him again."

I folded my arms, squeezing myself tight for warmth. _Please, God. Don't let me lose him._

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Fred and I were out the door, successfully avoiding everyone from the wedding, which was not such an easy feat. Nearly five times I almost ran into Mrs. Weasley, who was shocked to see me out of my hideaway of misery so soon. It was easier for Fred, except when Lee caught him going outside, wondering if he was going to start a snowball fight or something.

Fred, after much pestering, finally gave in to Lee. We made him swear to tell no one. This, however, was quite hard. First off, Lee wanted to come with us, since he is also one of George's best mates. One shortened explanation and a long sigh from Lee later, and we were on our way.

But soon after, I came up with a good idea to help us out. I knew we had little chance of finding George in less than a day, so I could at least try sending an owl after him. I went back into the house, and quickly found Ginny's semi-new owl affectionately dubbed 'Harry'. After finding a slightly rumpled quill shoved into an apron pocket in the kitchen, I quickly scrawled out a letter for George.

_Dear George,_

_I'm sorry for all that you've been going through. I know it's been very hard._

_I just sent this letter to you informing you that Fred and I are going out to search for you. This would've been a lot easier if you hadn't have left in the first place, but I guess you had to. _

_Fred hopes that you will not miss his wedding tomorrow; he will be thoroughly disappointed if his Best Man doesn't show up. We all miss you, me especially._

_I cannot thank you enough for informing us all at my wedding. I am much better off knowing that. I'm sure this is only momentary grief. I guess I was just so ready to be married._

_Yes, I'm not going to marry Brad. You and I both know that I just can't do that. I'm sure it was a very hard decision whether or not to tell, but I guess that's the difference between a bit of grief or a lifetime of grief when I finally would find out. _

_So, please, come back home. We can make things better, we're all ready to recover. I'm not so sure about Brad, though. I heard him yelling something earlier today. So, I have not approached him yet. I am sure such an occasion will not be joyous._

_Hopefully you are not too far away. I suspect that we will not make it far with the time allotted. I hope this letter reaches you before Fred and me. It may not be as dramatic as you locked up in seclusion on some remote beach, and then Fred and I appear out of nowhere to come and rescue you, but we wish you home as soon as possible._

_If this letter does reach you first, write back with Harry (Ginny's owl, that is) to us. We miss you, just be safe and come home._

_Love,_

_Your friend Alicia._

I rolled the parchment up and tied it to Harry's (the owl) outstretched leg.

"Go find George," I whispered in his ear, "We need him back here by tomorrow morning."

Harry hooted happily, and then flew off through the open window. I then picked up my traveling pack and went to go reunite with Fred.

* * *

As Fred and I walked away from the Burrow, we discussed where we should look first.

"I may have a clue where he may be. He probably wouldn't go somewhere to near or too far, that's just not like him. He's definitely still in Europe, but I have no idea whether he's here in the British Isles or in the mainland. He wouldn't go to far east or north, though," Fred explained.

"Great," I muttered, "we have narrowed it down to a vicinity of less than a thousand miles. Joy."

"Aw, come one, Leesh. It's way less than that, most likely. To be honest, he'd probably hide out in France, Spain, Luxembourg, Belgium, or The Netherlands. They're the closest. If not those, then he's definitely here. It's like… he _wants_ to be found. But not really… aw, I don't know. I saw we just go pick somewhere first and start looking."

I shook my head. "No, that would take way too long. But… I guess it's the only plan we have. Come on, we're wasting time here. Let's start in London."

Fred folded his arms and chewed on his lip. "I dunno, London seems too close."

"Well, where else are we going to start?" I said aggressively, and then took him by the arm. "Come on, let's Apparate."

"Right then. Hm… where in London? It's a pretty big city."

"Let's see, do you know the Lion Rose pub? Right off Larach Street? Apparate into the alley right next to it."

Fred raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "And how would you know this?"

I rolled my eyes. Fred wasn't _quite_ ready to be mature yet. "It's right on the street that I saw quite often on a bus route that I went on with my sisters to go to school. End of story."

"Sorry, just… never mind. Let's get going."

_Finally_... I thought, happy that Fred was now ready to leave. We had wasted so much time already…

* * *

George's POV

I lay down on my hotel bed, staring up at the wooden-planked ceiling. How long would I stay here? I didn't really know. Nor did I really care. Right now, I felt like a lifeless mass, sinking into the bed. All senses abandoned, and purposes shapeless and meaningless. For me, did anything really matter? Love has always been a step ahead of me, just out of my grasp.

And who was I to think that after Brad would come and go, would she turn to me? No, no more love. I had had enough already.

I closed my eyes. The power of this foreign silence was breathtaking to me. Thoughts undisturbed, actions unswayed came upon me. But would my family be scrounging the Earth for me? Of course.

Would I avoid them? Most likely… but they probably couldn't find me anyway. Knowing Fred, he would probably use his 'twin extrasensory perception' to 'connect' with me to find me.

And Alicia… yes, I was through with love… but I was still her friend. I could not abandon her so easily in her time of need. Maybe I should go back and help her out till she is fully recovered from that nasty incident at the wedding.

And yet… I had been through a lot more than she had! Why should I rush to her aid again? So I saved her marriage, yeah. But where was she when I was tortured with the thought of her together with that… that… _boy_? Where was she when I was hog-tied to Nora, having to endure her every advance?

Alicia drove me mad with love. She made me so jealous, I just had to make her regret on what she was missing. It was necessary that I should be engaged to Nora, or else risk never making her wish she'd have forgotten young Mr. Kelligry and loved me instead. There was no other choice.

_Oh, what young fools do for love,_ I thought. _You lost her. You know it. You cannot change the past_.

And now, it felt like I could not change the future. What I would do now just seemed inevitable. No escape… two words I hate to put together, and yet two words that were now closing in on me.

* * *

Alicia's POV

Even though I had gotten so used to it, Apparation was still not one of my favorite methods of travel. Having played Quidditch so long, I much preferred brooms to wand travel.

Even before I made landing on the sodden ground that made up our alley destination, I could smell the wet trash that littered the ground. My guess is that it had been there for at least a year, untouched. Fred came seconds after I did, but lost his balance and fell in the gray, crunchy snow.

I laughed, looking down at the six-foot-three man that now was beneath me. Fred quickly stood up, brushed the snow off, and performed a simple Drying Charm to get rid of the wet spot on the seat of his pants.

"Ruddy snow," he said angrily.

"You seem to have something in common with Carl Reiner, a favorite author of mine. 'A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water', he said."

"Yeah, he seems to know what he's talking about. In my opinion, the only good use for snow is to make snowballs and pelt 'em at Slytherins… or Snape."

We both laughed at his remark. I even remember him being dared to do it once. He and George hid behind a tree, watching Snape, snowballs at the ready. As they threw them, though, the packed wads of snow missed their target and instead acted as boomerangs and came right back at them ten times faster. George had complained to me later that Snape must've been tipped off or something; he didn't even see Snape mutter anything, let alone even look at them. Well, he did happily deduct fifty points from Gryffindor…

I smirked at the thought. Ah, I missed Hogwarts. I had even gone to thinking that maybe someday I could return and give flying lessons… haha, maybe when Hooch kicks the bucket.

Fred reached the end of the alley and looked around. He blew his nose, and turned back to me.

"Coming?" he asked, wiping his red nose.

I jogged to catch up to where he was, and took a look at the street ahead of us. Nothing really seemed out of the ordinary: women clutching large bags full of purchases, while still trying to hold up an umbrella to shield their hairdo; frosty windows decorated with cutout snowflakes that sparked with glitter; Father Christmas look-alikes collecting money for charity on the sidewalks; little children gazing in awe at the window displays showing new dolls, shiny train engines, and four-foot-tall teddy bears; and then, the occasional drunk coming out of the Lion Rose Pub singing 'Oh Come All Ye Faithful' at the top of their lungs, while leaning on their companions for support.

I laughed as I shook my head. "Doesn't look _too_ dangerous, Fred."

"Phew, I was worried there for a second. But if you want to, I can take out the Santa bell ringers. Just for fun… _please?_"

"Aww, Fred, they're just collecting money for the charities. Is that any reason to harm them? The children get so excited when they see these guys dressed up like Santa."

"I still don't get it, though. If a man dressed up like _that_ and walked down Diagon Alley, he wouldn't get very far. He's just_asking_ for trouble. Sheesh… when and why did Muggles first start to idolize this fat, drunken man in the first place?" Fred asked with a look of disgust.

"Fred, in the first place he's not drunk…"

"Well he sure acts like it," he retorted.

"That's because he's—aw, never mind," I said. I checked my watch quickly, and swore under my breath. "Blimey, we really need to get moving. Is there anywhere in London that you think George would go?"

Fred rubbed his beardless chin in thought as we walked. "Come to think of it, I have no idea. He wouldn't go to a pub, we're both underage for drinking… George likes beaches, carnivals, mountains… you know, like, peace and excitement at the same time."

I rolled my eyes. How in heck were we going to find something like that?

"Well… we could always try Hogwarts," Fred commented. "That's_definitely_ high up on George's list."

I could've kissed Fred. Why didn't we think of it sooner? It was a brilliant idea. We could only hope that the wonders of that magical castle could shelter our missing Weasley.

* * *

Brad's POV

Just as Alicia and Fred had mysteriously disappeared, I was ready to get gone as well. Sure, it might not be for the same reason… but I will have my ways and they will have theirs.

My nice tux was now discarded and in a rugged pile on the floor. Now I wore traveling robes, with a special pocket sewn in for a wand.

Yes, I had this all planned out… and there would be no way I could lose. I had so much more to be fighting for… he had taken so much from me, when he had no right… none at all…

And he will pay for it.

I knew Alicia and Fred were going after George, what else would they be doing? With their luck and resources, they would _maybe_ find him in the next five years…

But_I_… I knew where he was. Oh yes. Everyone underestimated my talent for spells… but they would all know in the end the power I possessed. I could get Alicia back.

I smirked as I stepped up to the mirror, examining myself. My hair that had been neatly trimmed and combed this morning was now a little unkempt, and anger had etched lines on my face. Physically, I didn't look half bad. Emotionally, I was a wreck.

But what would the Spinnets, Weasleys, Jordans, Bells, and Johnsons think of me in an hour or two? I would be hated. It's my revenge, yet also my downfall. I would _make_ Alicia accept me after this! Life would be normal once again, with_him_ out of the way. Oh yes. Alicia would just see how great I am, and forget all about George Weasley.

Suddenly, I had a horrible headache. I collapsed onto the bed, holding my forehead. Lately, I had been getting a lot of these headaches. And then the other aches… the stomach sometimes, other times it was chest pain or something like that. I just thought it was pre-wedding jitters… mine just worse than others. But now what would they be—pre-revenge jitters?

Well, I definitely wasn't a coward. And before long, I would prove it to the world.

* * *

George's POV

I stood out on my hotel room's balcony for quite some time. I was basically just singing to myself some random tune I had made up to distract myself from all that was going on in my life. For once, I actually felt peace… which was weird, because I knew that ways were closing their doors on me.

Sometime later, I finally got out of my rented room and walked the streets of Calais. There were people bustling about in a hurry, their faces pink from the cold. I kept my head down and my hands my pockets, although I would occasionally stop to wipe my freezing nose.

I couldn't understand a bunch of the signs, since they were in French. But a good few were also in English, seeing as Calais is viewed as 'The most English town in France'. Mostly the signs were advertising souvenirs and beach-wear (which was not getting much business at this time of the year). The pubs were easily the busiest spots in town, full of foreigners in Calais on shipping business. And then there were the stores all primed up for the holidays. There were high-life jewelry stores that men went into to buy their wife something special, the 1-franc stores that children flocked to buy cheap knick-knacks for the family that served little use in real life, and the clothing stores that the mothers stopped at to stock up on winter-wear for the family. I did not enter any of these shops, though, for I had set destination in my mind.

It took me about twenty minutes to walk to my destination: the Côte d'Opale, an extremely scenic cliff-lined section on the coast just opposite the White Cliffs on the British coast. I sat down on the brink of the cliff, looking out at the view before me. Directly below me were the crashing waves of gray-blue water that made up the Straight of Dover. The wispy grass poking out of the thick layer of snow which I sat on blew gracefully in the chilling breeze, dancing as if music were playing. Out in the distance, there was the thin line of white-gray… England. My home.

I exhaled, and closed my eyes. I lay down on the ground with my arms spread out at my sides even though the snow was now seeping through my clothes. I cleared my mind of all my troubles, all of my hardships… and I thought.

In an instant, all my thoughts came flooding in on me, I had a huge dam built up in my mind that I was just now breaking. I thought of Hogwarts. I thought of Lee Jordan, my first friend outside of my family who was a boy. I thought of Quidditch, and flying upwards of sixty miles per hour in the air. I thought of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and the escape from Hogwarts with my twin Fred. Yes… I thought of Fred. He was my best friend, and my best partner-in-crime. And… I thought of Alicia. I loved her. I would die for her. If only I could touch her again, hold her again, and never have to let go.

I wish for too many things… and I too often don't separate the differences between my dreams and my realities. The lines were blurring together into one soppy mess… like cereal that's been left out too long and gone soggy while you were preoccupied dreaming your time away. And then it's too late. You scold yourself for not paying attention to the time, but you know that you cannot change the past.

* * *

Fred's POV

Hogwarts held nothing for us. We'd only just gotten to the grounds when Filch found us and kicked us out… and told Fred that if he ever saw sight of him or George, he would personally report them for damages against the school. So, that meant that he hadn't seen George… and Filch sees practically _everything_, so scratch that plan. So, we returned to London to continue our search.

Five hours, and still no lead. By now Alicia and I were tired, wet, cold, and hungry. So, we stopped for a bite at a local diner.

Alicia had just come back from drying herself out in the women's bathroom. I was sipping a cup of tea, and she was looking at the menu.

"Wow, nothing really looks good right now. What're you getting?" Alicia asked.

"Oh, I dunno. I was thinking about a turkey sandwich, but then I realized that it would be cold, so maybe I'll get the beef stew. It sounds pretty good."

Alicia shrugged. "Yeah, stew sounds amazing right now. Although, it'll taste nothing like your mum's cooking," she added with a slight smile.

"Ugh, don't make me think of my mother right now, she's probably having a fit right now about us leaving."

"Well, I'd probably kill myself if we didn't. George means so much to us… I just feel so bad about not knowing where to find him."

I sighed, having nothing to say. The waitress came by and we placed our orders. We sat for awhile in silence, listening to the holiday music coming from the diner's speakers. Although I disliked the songs they were playing, it was still better than the song styles of Celestina Warbeck Mum fancies back at the Burrow.

No, not Mum again… no matter what, all my thoughts seemed to lead back to the Burrow, like there was something I'd forgotten back there.

Just then, Alicia spoke up. "Just wondering, but is there anything your family has, like some kind of chip inside his head to let your mum know where he is? It would make this process a heck of a lot easier."

"Sadly, no. That would be really useful."

Then, it hit me. I wanted to kiss Alicia; she'd just practically answered my question. My mum _did_have something to keep track of us with!

"Alicia… what about our clock? It shows where everyone in my family is at all times! I knew I'd forgotten about something at home!"

Alicia's eyes lit up. "Yeah! Then it'll show exactly where George is!"

Just then, the waitress came back with two bowlfuls of hot stew.

My thoughts raced, and a flaw came up in my mind. I frowned, and said, "I'm not sure if it's _exactly_ accurate, like it would have George's hand pointing at something like Madrid, Spain. That clock can't have every single little thing on its face. I think it just generalizes."

Alicia shrugged my shoulders. "We should still ask your mom. I bet we could still get some sort of an area from it."

I smiled. It was still worth a try. We both got up, and I got out some Muggle coins. We were gone before the money came to rest on the table next to our abandoned bowls of beef stew.

* * *

Mrs. Weasley's POV

How could they abandon their poor mother like this?!

It was wonderful to see George again so soon, but to have him take off like that, and then Fred disappears after him? And then Alicia and Brad had vanished, as well. What were they think? Oh sure, let's all just go run away and leave me here to suffer? Did they think of what this would do to me?!

What was I to do? I couldn't just sit here and wait for them to just turn up on the doorstep, no, I wouldn't have that. If anything was to be done right, I'd do it myself. No one knows how to track down someone better than a mother. Mothers just have those instincts, you know? Yes, I could find George on my own… and Alicia, Fred, and Brad as well, come to think of it.

But… it was always like Arthur to read my mind. As I was grabbing my blue and pink knitted scarf, I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. I turned out around, and saw his worried face look down on me.

"Please, Molly, for once let them handle this themselves. There's only so much we can do."

My fists curled up into balls and I grimaced. "But there must be_something!_ I am a mother for goodness' sake! Do not ask me to back out of this situation!"

His loving arms wrapped around me. "No, Molly. This time, there is nothing we can do… nor should we try. We have tried to bend George to our ways his whole life. Now… he must make his decisions on his own. You have to let go, Molly," he said, locking his sea-blue eyes with my earthy-brown ones.

I let out a painful sigh. "But it's so hard."

He hugged me even tighter. "I know. I know."

* * *

Alicia's POV

The next few minutes were a complete blur to me. All I remember was the squeezing feeling of Apparition, falling on snow, and running into Mr. Weasley.

Now, we were all on the couch, the Weasley parents hanging onto our every word as Fred and I told our tale thus far. Mrs. Weasley seemed to be thoroughly put out when we mentioned that we'd hadn't found a singe trace of George, but when we told of Fred's brilliant idea, she seemed to perk up a lot, like a flame inside her once blown out had been rekindled. We wasted no time getting to the clock. By this time, others had gathered around us to seem what all the fuss was about. Sure enough, the hands of Arthur, Molly, Bill, Charlie, Fred, Ron, and Ginny were all pointed at the marking 'Home', but the hand of George was pointing off into the large category of 'Abroad'.

Fred cursed and banged his fists against the wall in a rage. We had come so close… and yet our only hope had left us with nothing but the knowledge that he was in some other country. There were so many countries… how were we to know which one he would take refuge in?

Mrs. Weasley had already broken down, her hopes now dashed into pieces. Charlie had helped her onto a couch, soothing her as best he could. I felt like I could use someone to hold… if there was such a person who could hold me and love me anymore.

Then, I noticed Mr. Weasley. He, unlike everyone else, remained steadfast and stared at the clock, with the machinations of his mind probably spinning wildly. It was like he hadn't given up yet.

"I'll see what I can do with this. We'll get a location. Trust me. We'll find him yet," he muttered. "_Locomotor Clock!_"

With that, the clock lifted itself off the ground and followed Mr. Weasley out of the room.

I was left gaping. "Oh Fred," I said, "do you really think he can do it?"

Fred shrugged, amazed himself. "He's Dad. He can do anything."

* * *

Most of the later afternoon was spent pacing outside of the tool shed where Mr. Weasley had decided to work on the clock. It was freezing, though, so most of the crowd had dwindled away to warm up inside the Burrow. After half an hour, only the immediate family and I remained.

For the most part, the tool shed was silent except for the flipping of pages and the noises from what sounded like the dismantling of the clock. But, every so often, Mr. Weasley would recite some complex spell or a simple one, like '_Specialis Revelio_'.

And so we sat, just waiting for some solution. The minutes seemed elongated, as if the heavens had slowed down time for Mr. Weasley. A blessing and a curse… we all wished that he'd be done quickly. But, I guess, if you want a good solution, the process had better be done right. A rushed fix is hardly a good one.

Finally—after what seemed like _days_—Mr. Weasley let out a triumphant bellow and banged open the door.

"Come in, come in!" he shouted joyously, beckoning us into the cramped tool shed. He was practically trembling with excitement.

"Have you got it, dear?" asked an anxious Mrs. Weasley, "Where is he?"

"Oh, yes. I found him," he said with hushed excitement.

We all managed to squeeze into that tiny shed; all cramming to get a look at what he'd done with the clock.

"Watch closely now. It's remarkable," Mr. Weasley said. With that, he brandished his old oak wand, and lightly tapped the '_Abroad'_ mark that George's hand of the clock was pointed to.

The mark suddenly changed colors from a marble white to a blood red. For a second, nothing happened, and we all looked expectantly at Mr. Weasley.

"Wait for it. Ah, there it goes!" he remarked, clapping his hands together.

Our eyes flashed back to the clock and to the bright red _'Abroad'_ mark. Little golden lines were starting to come out of it! They twisted to the right elegantly, forming a circle. Then, to our delight, one glorious word appeared: 'CALAIS'.

Mr. Weasley beamed. "He's in France."

I let out a sigh of relief, and clutched my shirt's front as I smiled. Mrs. Weasley broke down into tears, and hugged her husband in gratefulness.

Fred patted me on the back, and whispered into my ear: "We'd better get going, then. But France… I thought George would be more of a Germany guy. But still, Calais isn't too shabby."

Yes, Calais. The closest French city to England, if you could even call it pure French. The city had to have a mixed culture with us. Calais… this was the answer. After all of these hours, our search would not be in vain.

* * *

George's POV

Eventually, I grew cold and wet from lying down in the snow. Go figure. I had arrived back in my hotel room, and took a hot shower. Now, I was lying down on my bed, trying to figure out how long I would stay like this.

Was I to be a coward and just stay here? Why couldn't I be man enough to face my fears and settle this, once and for all?

Ah, I dunno. Maybe I was afraid of hurting Alicia… well, too late. I'm sure my flight would've made her feel guilty.

Or maybe… I was afraid of getting hurt. Just to hear her say that she loved him and not me would be enough to destroy my spirit.

Suddenly, a knocking on the door. Who could that be? I didn't order room service. Besides, I'm a wizard. I could make any meal with all the training my mum gave me and with the aid of a few spells.

A knocking again. Did I even want to open the door? Not really.

A third knock. Finally, curiosity got the better of me. I leapt up from the bed and hustled to the door before this mysterious visitor went away.

Before I opened the door, though, I looked through the peep hole. Ah, didn't help. The stranger was wearing a hood. I opened the door, now looking what appeared to be a man considerably shorter than I was, but with an air of defiance.

"Hello?" I said, greeting the stranger.

"George Weasley," he said drearily. Ah. _Now_ I knew who he was… Brad Kelligry.

"Get out of here," I said angrily, sneering at him.

He lowered his hood. Sure enough, it was Brad. He had a mischievous smirk on his face, as if he had something planned.

"Come, come, why the rudeness? Is this how you treat all your guests?" he asked mockingly.

I gritted my teeth. "You're not welcome here."

He smiled evilly. "The proper thing to do would be to invite me inside, George. But no matter… I shall invite myself in. It is rather chilly."

My hands balled up into fists at my sides as he strutted into my room, with his smirk and lighted eyes.

"Seems a bit shabby, George. I thought you could do much better, with all your wealth and prosperity. I guess you like to relate t-…"

"How dare you come into my room after what you had done to me? How _dare_ you take Alicia away from me! You have no business here," I interrupted, motioning stiffly towards the door.

Then, his smirk changed. His mocking smile turned rigid and something inside of him snapped. He rushed up to me, slamming me into the wall, whipping out his wand and shoving it against my cheek as his other hand wrapped around my throat.

"How dare _I?_" he said in hushed anger, his teeth gritted. "HOW DARE _I?!_ After what you had done to me… how… dare… _I?!_"

He was practically screaming now. He shoved the wand tighter against my cheek, tightening his grip on both the wand and my neck. His hands were shaky and cold.

"_You_ took Alicia away from _me_! You ruined _my_ life! Everything was perfect until _you_ showed up! How dare _you_, George Weasley. She loved me; we were going to start a new life together. And then _you_bother to show up, in all your glory, the prodigal son, and suddenly I'm left with nothing! Oh, how dare I, for ruining _your_ life? How dare _you_ for ruining mine!!"

I stood motionless against the wall, my face a deathly pale. This was not the Brad I knew… the Brad I knew was the carefree teenager I met in my shop months ago, applying for a job. This was not Brad… this was a madman. He had a new look in his eye.

He was going to kill me.

I would've destroyed him the moment he lunged forward at me, but my wand was lying on the bedside table. I knew little wandless magic, and it was only stupid stuff, like turning on lights and opening stuff. Now… I was helpless. I was going to die.

Suddenly, my door banged open, and who appeared but the two most wonderful people on earth—Alicia and Fred. I couldn't have wanted to see anyone else more. Both of their wands were out, and an urgent look was etched on their faces. My eyes locked with Alicia's, and for a brief moment, I felt like I could die happy, seeing her again. The fire in her eyes was enough to reawaken my soul from this misery, and live again. For a moment, I was at peace, feeling her presence, and her spirit. It was all I ever wanted.

But then... I felt the fingers on my neck tighten, and I was jerked back into bitter reality. Brad looked over at them, and simply laughed. Laughed like a madman. Alicia gasped and nearly fainted at the sight of us, but managed to get a grip on the door handle. Fred's expression turned stern as something clicked in his head. His twin was in danger.

Brad continued laughing, and suddenly turned back to me, tightening his grip on his wand. His breath came in ragged breaths, like the feeling of needing to kill me was coming on strong.

"So you think you've been saved, eh?" he whispered.

I said nothing, just looked right at him. I cringed as sparks came out of his wand, probably in response to his anger.

"Alicia won't harm me… I don't think she'll be able to," he said with a laugh, looking over at her. Alicia's gaze turned cold at this insult. "And Fred… he won't harm me, because if he tries to…" he said, and whispered in my ear: "I'll kill you."

At this, Fred leapt forward and baring his teeth in an angry snarl, he bellowed, "THINK AGAIN!!"

Brad didn't even have time to react before a gust of magic pummeled him in the chest, throwing him backwards to be slammed against another wall with a sickening thud.

"BRAD!!" Alicia exclaimed, and instantly rushed over to him, crying. "He's unconscious!"

"Don't worry, he'll be fine," I said with a tinge of bitterness as I rubbed the spot on my cheek where the madman's wand had scorched me.

"How can you still care for him, Alicia, after what he did to George?!" Fred exclaimed, stowing his wand away.

"I cared for him once. But I cannot help feeling human… he _is_family," she remarked, pulling Brad's unconscious body on to the bed.

Then, silence. No one said anything, but just looked at each other. Then, Alicia broke down again and ran to me, hugging me tightly.

"Don't you ever leave like that again, George Weasley. Promise me you won't," she whispered.

"I promise."

Then, she let go, wiping her eyes. I then looked to Fred, who was smiling in relief. He came up to me and we embraced, glad to be back together again.

"We need to get you home," he said as he pulled away. "Mum's going to have a fit if we're not back before long."

I laughed, genuinely laughed, for the first time in a long time. I missed these guys. It was great to be back.

* * *

We Apparated back to the Burrow, with Brad using Side-Along Apparition with Alicia. The next few minutes were a complete blur to me, because I was kissed and hugged so many times and crowded around that I had no idea who was who. I remember Mum, though. She was the most ecstatic… obviously. I could tell that she'd been crying for hours, and would wop me sooner than I could blink for fleeing if this homecoming hadn't have been so joyful.

I had to admit, running from this wasn't easy. I fought every impulse to stay, no matter how strong they were. I longed to stay, so fleeing was actually very painful for me. It was like I had been torn in half, with a part of me finding refuge in seclusion, and the other part at home with family, the people who love me. Gosh, I knew I was making a mistake when I left. I had only come to realize in my time in France that my assumption was correct.

I promised Alicia I'd never run away from her again. I fully intended to keep that promise. I would hold on to these people, and anything I faced, they would be at my side.

Even if it were the face of death itself, nothing could keep me away from these people again.

Even if it were myself.

* * *

!!!!!!!!!!!

So... how did you guys like it? I worked long and hard, and felt like my efforts were worth it. I love this chapter.

Like I said before, it was so much fun writing the Brad/George scene, because I'd unconsciously be doing all of the motions I was writing. It's so fun to be writing on this at school, because people will stare at me when I suddenly make weird faces when I'm writing. I'm only doing what my characters are doing in the story... :)

Please review, it really makes my day! You have no idea how much reviews mean to mean. I mostly write the stories to get the reviews... and to also write the story. It's a task, but I love it!

I can use all the help I can get! I do this for a profession!

Sir Fuzzalot... till next time. No promises on next update. I can only tell you that I will try my verrry hardest to make the update shorter.


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